Licensing officers from South Gloucestershire Council teamed up with traffic officers from Avon and Somerset Police on Tuesday (4th August) for a joint operation to carry out checks on hackney carriages and private hire vehicles.
Police officers stopped the targeted vehicles and directed drivers over to a checkpoint area located at the Jubilee Centre in Bradley Stoke. Upon arrival, routine compliance checks were given on the vehicle’s condition/roadworthiness and the driver’s licensing and insurance documentation. A number of drivers were also breath tested for alcohol.
A total of 29 vehicles operating in the Bradley Stoke, Filton, Almondsbury, Patchway and surrounding areas were directed to the checkpoint area. None of the drivers were arrested and no drivers failed breath tests. However, several were issued with prohibition notices for faults such as defective lights or tyres; four vehicles were given PG9s (police prohibition notices) or Stop Notices (council prohibition notices) and of these all but one were rectified and the vehicles are now back operating. Only 13 of the 29 vehicles/drivers checked were found to have no issues regarding compliance.
Chair of South Gloucestershire Council’ Communities Committee Cllr Heather Goddard said:
“This day of action was about education, not enforcement. We carry out these checks on a regular basis to ensure the health and safety of the travelling public in South Gloucestershire. The great majority of drivers were extremely co-operative and fully supported the initiative. Many commented that they would like to see similar operations being run more frequently in the area.”
Avon and Somerset traffic officer PC Richard Villis said:
“It was a successful operation that was well received by all the taxi drivers we spoke to. They appreciated seeing police and council officers carrying out important checks that can only reassure the public about taxi safety. We were pleased to find so few faults with the vehicles we examined.”
The aim of the joint operation was to ensure compliance of licensed vehicles, operators and drivers working within the South Gloucestershire Council area. The checks included both hackney and private hire vehicles licensed by South Gloucestershire Council as well as those licensed in other local authority areas but operating within South Gloucestershire.
For more information about licensing visit www.southglos.gov.uk/licensing
Source: Press release from South Gloucestershire Council.
