Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council has led a further joint operation to check taxis and private hire vehicles in the Borough, working beside Warwickshire Police and City of Wolverhampton Council.
The day of action, held at Pingles Leisure Centre, Nuneaton on Tuesday, 14 July, aimed to keep passengers safe and make sure licensed vehicles meet the required standards.
Council licensing officers inspected nine licensed vehicles working in the Borough and six of those were found to be fully in order. One was suspended on the spot after being found with no working brake lights, and two were issued with rectification notices to put right minor compliance issues.
Cllr Shane Coates-Jarman, Portfolio Holder for Planning, Enforcement and Public Services at Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, said:
"I am pleased that we have been able to undertake another operation, helping to ensure public safety and make sure the taxi and private hire drivers working in our Borough and beyond are operating legally and with safe, roadworthy vehicles.
“The vast majority of our drivers do the right thing, and I look forward to seeing more of these operations in the future."
Councillor Qaiser Azeem, Cabinet Member for Resident Services at City of Wolverhampton Council, said:
"Ensuring the safety of the travelling public is our highest priority, which is why our officers carry out regular enforcement activity across the country wherever our licensed drivers are working.
"We will continue to support councils such as Nuneaton and Bedworth in delivering compliance operations that help ensure licensed vehicles meet the standards expected of the trade.
"As part of this work we also target illegal 'ghost plates' and use laser technology to check vehicles meet the legal minimum tyre tread depth of 1.6mm."
A spokesperson for Warwickshire Police said:
“It was a great day working with our council partners to keep our roads safe from dangerous vehicles and poor driving and we look forward to doing it again.”
Under current law, applicants may apply to any licensing authority for a taxi or private hire licence, and councils cannot refuse an applicant simply because they live in a different area.
Joint, cross-border operations like this allow the authorities involved to check both locally and externally-licensed vehicles working in the Borough. Further operations are expected to take place.
Passengers are urged to book through reputable companies or apps and to always check the driver's ID and displayed licence. Anyone with concerns about a licensed vehicle or driver can contact the council's Licensing team.