A council has warned people not to get into PHVs unless they are licensed locally after several out-of-town vehicles failed spot checks for safety.
The warning follows operations involving Lancashire Police, South Ribble Council, Preston Council and Wolverhampton Council to check taxis and PHVs operating in Lancashire. Concerns were raised after every vehicle which failed the checks was found to be licensed 100 miles away, in Wolverhampton, which licenses the most out-of-town PHVs in England.
Inspections
During the operations, officials stopped 200 vehicles – 85 licensed by Wolverhampton – to check drivers and vehicles were properly licensed, with the correct public hire insurance or private hire insurance in place, and that the vehicles were safe. Officers immediately took three PHVs off the road for serious safety defects and issued warnings to “numerous” other drivers.
Following the checks, the BBC reports that Cllr Jane Bell, chairman of South Ribble Council’s licensing and public safety committee, warned people not to use ride-hailing apps such as Uber, and only get into locally licensed PHVs.
Speaking about the action taken against the drivers, she told the committee: “They were all Uber taxis . . . licensed in Wolverhampton.
“So, please be very careful when you use an Uber – you may not be safe.
“You certainly won’t be as safe as in our taxis, because our policies are very strict – and stricter than a lot of other boroughs.”
As well as the three prohibitions for defects, the committee heard that numerous warnings were issued to drivers for having incorrect plates or stickers, or not having visible identification.
High standards
Uber said it takes safety seriously and works with councils to address any issues. A spokesperson told the BBC: “Uber operates according to the high standards set across the industry and abides by the same regulations as all other private-hire operators.
“We engage closely with councils across the country and are happy to discuss any issues with them.”
Wolverhampton Council says it has rigorous licensing checks in place and its officers travel across the country to ensure drivers and vehicles meet its standards, such as in the summer operations in Lancashire.
The BBC reports that neither South Ribble Borough Council nor Preston City Council currently licences Uber vehicles, but drivers can still legally pick up fares in the area following changes to PHV licensing in 2015 which enables drivers to get their badge from any council, wherever they live or operate
Out-of-towners
Issues regarding the safety of out-of-town drivers and their vehicles has previously been raised by Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who called for a boycott “out-of-town” private-hire taxis working in Manchester because they “undermined public safety”. He also accused Wolverhampton Council of carrying out “less-stringent” checks on drivers working in other areas.
Transport for London also accused Wolverhampton of “undermining key objectives” saying that the 300 private-hire drivers it had licensed to work in the capital were trying to avoid London’s licensing requirements and raised questions about safety.
Despite the claims, Wolverhampton insists it is keeping a close eye on the thousands of private hire taxi drivers who are registered with – wherever they are operating.
Whether a PHV is licensed locally or 100 miles away, safety has to come first and it is good to see operations such as this which help maintain standards and deter anyone from cutting corners.
Licensing authorities are responsible for safety and they are right to take action against drivers of unsafe vehicles which put all road users at risk.
