16 roadside taxi spot checks carried out by Council and police find unclean vehicles and broken roof lights

North East Lincolnshire Council’s licensing team and Humberside Police have carried out a joint operation, spot checking sixteen random taxis.

Drivers were checked, alongside the condition of their vehicle, as well as their licence, insurance, tyres, lights and vehicle tax.

Licensing teams checked all drivers and general condition of the vehicles while Humberside Police checked the vehicles condition, tyres, and lights. The following issues were found during the inspections on the evening of Saturday, 25 May:

• One vehicle had accident damage.
• One vehicle was very unclean.
• One vehicle’s roof light not working.
• One vehicle unclean.
• One driver had no badge or tariff card.
• One driver was given advice for parking up with headlights on
• One driver given advice regarding warning light on dashboard

The council’s licensing team are responsible for issuing licenses to new and continuing taxi drivers, and carry out extensive checks on the vehicles to ensure that they are roadworthy and meet the required standards.

Throughout the year, the team carry out roadside spot checks to make sure that these standards are being kept to.

Stay safe and smart when you get a taxi

Always use a licensed vehicle.

Hackney Carriage Vehicles can pick up unarranged fares from the street.  They have a taxi roof sign and a white licence plate on the rear bumper. 

Private hire vehicles are not permitted to pick up from the street without being pre-booked.  They have a half moon door sign on the front two doors which say ‘advanced bookings only’, and a yellow licence plate on the rear bumper. Book by phone, email or in a private hire office.  Never approach or accept a journey from a private hire driver which isn’t pre-booked.

When your booked vehicle arrives, make sure the driver can confirm your name and destination – check this before you get into the vehicle.

Check the driver’s photo ID badge.

Never risk getting into a private hire vehicle which is not pre-booked.

The council’s licensing department warns against arranging journeys with unlicensed people on the internet and social media as they are not insured and these individuals have had no checks, which could put people in potential danger.