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Leeds cabs fail in safety blitz - COMMENT ON THIS STORY
Hundreds of Leeds taxis failed essential safety tests after a clampdown by licensing bosses.
Figures obtained by the YEP reveal just 138 of 740 private hire cars, which were ordered to attend a council-enforced MOT-type test, passed first time.
And just 27 out of 115 Hackney carriage cabs were declared fit for service.
One car was so shaky that when a tester sat on a seat, it collapsed under him.
Today Leeds City Council's l eader Richard Brett described the statistics as "frightening".
He vowed to continue to clamp down to ensure passenger safety is paramount.
Today taxi drivers accused the council of taking a hardline approach – punishing the drivers for minor faults in troubled economic times.
The tests were done on cars over six years old. The council wants to limit the age of taxi on the city's streets from eight to six years old on safety grounds.
Last week a consultation meeting between the trade and taxi licensing chiefs turned to chaos when more than 500 angry drivers gathered but were unable to get into the building.
"This is not an attempt by the council to pick on the trade," Coun Brett told the YEP.
"It's about statistics that are extremely worrying and really quite frightening.
"I was extremely concerned about the number of vehicles with faults found.
"Yes some of the faults were minor but we have had cases of seats collapsing when people sit on them and other serious faults.
"Leeds City Council has a responsibility before it gives out licences to the trade to make sure that passengers are safe - no other criteria is more important than that.
"This is not about taking draconian action.
"It's about providing the service that the people of Leeds would expect."
Of the 740 private hire cars ordered to be tested, 230 drivers failed to turn up, 78 were suspended until they fixed the faults and 32 licenses were revoked immediately.
Forty-five drivers surrendered their taxi licences voluntarily.
Despite the figures, taxi representatives today hit back at the council's approach.
Bill Chard, who represents more than 500 private hire drivers on the GMB Yorkshire union, said many cars had failed for minor issues.
"In most cases once they had a bit of work they were back on the road.
"No car is going to be perfect all the time and some might have been due their MOT anyway.
"Six years is a ridiculous age criteria in the current climate," he added.
Mr Chard said cars had been forced to undergo rigorous two hour tests, and drivers were expected to produce "pristine" service records even if they had bought the vehicle second hand.
"We are not gong to jeopardise safety. We want good standards too," he said.
"But Leeds' action compared to other local authorities is extreme."
Javed Akhtar, who chairs the Leeds Private Hire Association, said the new policy could force smaller taxi companies out of business.
A council spokesperson confirmed the new six-year proposals will not affect vehicles currently on the road and will only apply to vehicles first licensed after July this year.
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Weather for Leeds
Saturday 26 May 2012
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Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
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Wind direction: East
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Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
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