Cabbies Appeal for Fewer MoTs
There has been a request made for the 400 taxis in Calderdale to undergo fewer MoTs. This is in spite of the passing rate of just one in three vehicles among first-time test takers.
Back in 1990, regular testing of once every four months was introduced; today, operators are suggesting that the rules should be more lenient, particularly for newer vehicles.
The Licensing Committee of Calderdale Council was asked to introduce some a kind of system which would require vehicles that are less than six years old to just be tested annually while all others to be tested twice a year.
While yearly tests must still be done at the transport depot of the council, owners would like the other test to be done at any garage that is MoT-registered to help in cutting down costs.
Sarah Richardson, the licensing services manager of the council, said that the regular testing of both hackney carriages and private hire vehicles help in ensuring the welfare and the safety of the general public, especially those who use them as their modes of transportation.
Out of the 1,357 tests which were taken in the past year, only 421 or about 31 percent failed. Some of the reasons why some vehicles failed the test include having illegal tyres, light bulb faults, high exhaust emissions, worn ball joints and brakes and problems with the anti-roll bushes.
Richardson said that their testing policy takes into consideration the heavy demands which are put on vehicles that are brought about by their daily usage. She said that through having the tests more often wear and tear and any potential failure of the components of the vehicle can be checked.
Aside from this, the licensing committee has also been requested to approve of an increase in the vehicle licensing fees, something that the Calderdale Private Hire Association has strongly opposed.
The Calderdale Private Hire Association wants the council to perform an extensive review of the licensing charges to make sure that they would be able to cover administration costs without being too much that the council would be making additional money at the expense of taxi cab operators.