Reading: Bald Tyres Force Taxis Off the Road

It’s is worrying to hear that a quarter of the taxis pulled over for random spot checks in Bristol were found to be unsafe - many due to bald tyres.

The vehicles were suspended from operating until the tyres and other faults were put right, but the operation last week has highlighted a serious issue.

We are all responsible for making sure our own vehicles are safe and legal to take out on the roads, but when we jump into a cab late - often late at night - we have to put our trust in others.

Time is precious for cab drivers and that is why many taxi firms use etyres, because our prices are up to 40% cheaper than the leading high street tyre depots and our convenient mobile tyre fitting service means we turn up at their home or work and carry out the job.

Back to Bristol and of the 44 vehicles checked during the first spot check session, 11 were found to be unsafe and the licences were suspended with immediate effect until repair work was carried out.

And on the second session, checks on 13 vehicles led to four being suspended with immediate effect.
The majority of problems identified concerned tyres, usually with a depth of tread below the legal limit.

Cllr Ron Stone, Chair of the Public Safety Protection Committee responsible for licensing taxis, said it was important for the authorities to remain vigilant to protect the public.

“We were pleased that in most cases the vehicles examined were in good condition, as no prior announcement of the checks had been made. However, the amount of defects showed that we must be vigilant to make sure passengers are travelling in safe vehicles.”

Oliver Hall, Operations Team

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 at 8:52 pm and is filed under Blogs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.