Better Transport

A press release by the local group Campaign for Better Transport, Leicestershire and Rutland.

The Leicester panel of the Campaign for Better Transport has just completed its third Taxi Watch Campaign in Leicester City, which it has been doing during selected weeks and selected weekends since last October and over the festive season and into the New Year, with a total of three and a half weeks of surveys; and the Leicester Campaign for Better Transport has concluded that defective lighting on taxi and private hire car fleets needs monthly and persistent enforcement action by Leicester City Council now.

Action taken by the Leicester City Council just before Christmas to inspect vehicles operating in the city and to take some off the road, was welcomed by the Leicester Campaign for Better Transport because it led to an observed decrease in problem taxis and hire cars on the streets and this actually showed up in the survey results.

But the bad news is that in the third survey follow up done in January 2008, levels of problem vehicles had gone back up again and were even higher than those found in the pilot survey in October.

First Taxi Watch

Leicester Campaign for Better Transport said:
 
"The first trial run of Taxi Watch Campaign took place for two weeks during October and found a large problem with taxi and private hire car vehicles operating in the City of Leicester at night with defective lights, as well as waiting on street in the vicinity of full taxi ranks causing obstruction and numerous parking infringements, principally outside operators' offices, while drivers stop for a rest or wait for the next passenger.

"The two week long Taxi Watch pilot done during October found 62 instances of defective lights on taxis and private hire cars operating in the City, potentially putting passengers at risk; and double parking congestion, some of which was causing severe delays to bus services."
 
In detail, during October, Leicester Campaign for Better Transport members found 62 instances of taxis and private hire cars driving after dark with defective lights, four instances of vehicles ignoring traffic signs, including two banned turning manoeuvres and one driving through a succession of red traffic lights late at night, an empty private hire vehicle plying for trade by stopping at a Bus Stop and asking for anyone needing a fare to town, and waiting on street in the vicinity of full taxi ranks and causing obstruction, as well as numerous parking infringements, principally outside Operators' offices, while drivers stop for a rest or for the next passenger.

Second Taxi Watch

Leicester Campaign for Better Transport said:

"During the first few days of the second Taxi watch Campaign done in the final week lead up to Christmas, the number of taxis and private hire cars with defective lights was about the same as in October, but then after the City Council action was reported in the Leicester Mercury, the numbers of faulty vehicles seen went down by about half, to just under 20 per week seen driving with defective lights. Even so at this reduced level it is still too many defects that may be putting passengers at risk. Passengers really might be best to walk round the outside of the cab or hire car at night and if it doesn’t look in order, to get another company."

Third Taxi Watch

Leicester Campaign for Better Transport said:

"The third and final taxi watch took place over a weekend in January and results have shown between six and eight defective vehicles being observed in each hour long survey. That is back to the levels seen before the City Council Action in December. If this industry is not mature enough in its approach to safety to be willing to regulate itself satisfactorily, then possibly there is a need to consider more frequent and persistent action by the City council to achieve good standards throughout”

Explaining how the surveys had been done, Leicester Campaign for Better Transport said:

"A small band of volunteers did a daily walk or occasional walk using roughly the same route each time along the more main roads or routes frequently used by taxis and private hire cars and varied the times a bit. This took half hour or an hour and was either point to point or point and return.

"Withdrawal of many of Leicester’s evening bus services and weekend bus services by the main bus operators looking for profits and claiming ‘service improvements’ and the arrival of the festive season, meant more people were likely to use taxis and private hire cars. Taxi and private hire car license holders seem to be increasing in number. With more taxis around and more people needing them, Taxi Watch focussed on some daytime and some after dark issues for this part of the Leicester public transport network, all related to outside, not inside vehicles.”

"Daytime data was collected about taxis waiting on street in the vicinity of full taxi ranks and causing obstruction and about parking infringements, principally outside Operators' offices, while drivers stop for a rest or for the next passenger. After dark the data was collected about these and also about incomplete or defective lighting of moving vehicles."

While recognising that this is not statistical scientific research, the Leicester Campaign for Better Transport suggests that even simple counts of daily observed defective vehicles, by time, by route and area of town, for taxis and private hire cars, as well as list of places with congestion and obstruction caused by taxis and private hire cars, with counts of excess parked vehicles, the date, the time of day and the street address does give useful information to feedback to the Licensing Authority, in this case Leicester City Council. The campaign stressed that no registration details of actual defective vehicles were collected.

Leicester Campaign for Better Transport concluded:

"The surveys have shown up a need to upgrade the quality and approach of this part of the public transport industry. Taxi firms must be having difficulty recruiting drivers! Companies should insist on more training for new drivers taken on before they are allowed to take fares, after all, taxis are public transport, in fact very expensive public transport and you should expect to have the highest possible service in totally roadworthy vehicles at all times. It should not be up to the passenger to decide if they think the vehicle is satisfactory – professional drivers must ensure every aspect of the service is up to scratch at all times and if not they must be prepared to put it right before they ply for trade."

Notes for editors

Taxi Watch includes taxis and private hire cars. Licences for these are all issued by district councils, including the Leicester City Council. Observing Hackney taxis and private hire cars will collect information to engage in dialogue with district and unitary councils about transport. Taxi Watch Campaign is taking place in Hinckley, in Loughborough and in Leicester.