Taxi safety checks help keep the public safe in Ribble Valley
A joint operation by Ribble Valley Borough Council and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) saw officers carry out a pre-Christmas round of spot checks in Ribble Valley to ensure the safety
During the inspections, a total of eight hackney carriages and private hire vehicles were thoroughly examined, all of which met the required standard.
Councillor Ian Brown, chairman of the council’s licensing committee, said: “It’s great to see that in this case all the vehicles were up to the standards we would expect.
“The council and DVSA will continue to carry out regular inspections of licensed vehicles in the borough throughout the year to help ensure standards are kept high and passengers, and drivers, are kept safe.
The checks were carried out on Wednesday (17th December).
People using taxis over Christmas and New Year are reminded to take some simple safety checks of their own to ensure they get home safely.
● ‘Yellow plate’ private hire vehicles must be pre-booked. Only ‘blue plate’ hackney carriages can be flagged down or hired from a taxi rank and it is illegal for private hire vehicles to pick up passengers in the street, unless they are pre-booked
● Check drivers are wearing identification badges that have not expired
● Check the identity of drivers against photographs on identification badges
● Check that the vehicle is displaying licence plates at the back and on the left of the windscreen – if in doubt take a photograph of the plates
● Do not give personal details to drivers
● Agree private hire fees in advance with operators (hackney cab fees are set by the council)
If you suspect a taxi firm of operating without a licence, or a driver of driving without a licence or using an unlicensed vehicle, contact Ribble Valley Borough Council’s licensing team on 01200 414411 or email taxilicensing@ribblevalley.gov.uk.