Taxi operators in north-east Fife are to be hauled before the authorities following a damning report into the shocking state of some of their vehicles.
The region’s regulation and licensing committee has called for operators to be brought to task after hearing just 86% of the taxis and private hire vehicles tested during annual inspections in north-east Fife passed first time.
Of the 169 vehicles tested between February and April, 145 passed first time and 23 failed but passed on retest, while another passed on its second retest.
Faults identified ranged from oil leaks and soiled seats to steering problems and severely worn tyres.
The results have alarmed the committee so much that the 22 individual operators concerned are expected to be called to a special meeting to discuss the situation later this year.
Fleet service manager Tom Henderson called the report ”extremely discouraging,” especially as some of the operators involved have previously been warned about their maintenance procedures.
Committee chairman Gerry McMullan said: ”This is a damning report for north-east Fife, and despite five years of this committee this being a very pro-active committee and the number of times we’ve discussed north-east Fife taxis, they have done virtually nothing to improve the situation.
”We’re proud north-east Fife is quite a tourist attraction, but when you’ve got an industry that really relies on visitors who rely on transportation, the fact some of these drivers are running about in substandard vehicles is ridiculous and it’s also appalling.
”It’s absolutely shocking, and I think north-east Fife should think again about various aspects of their tourist industry.”
Councillor Mike Rumney, who has been involved with the licensing setup in Fife for 16 years, described the report as the ”most appalling” he had ever seen.
”You would have thought that operators would have learned their lesson but what they are doing is sticking two fingers up to this committee and the attempts of others to raise the standards,” he said.
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”These defects can affect anybody in Fife and in many cases these are vehicles picking up visitors at Edinburgh Airport it’s absolutely shocking.
”99% of these defects are mechanical defects and it’s the safety of the travelling public and other road users that we’re concerned about here.”
The results were in stark contrast to other areas of Fife, where taxi operators were praised for their maintenance regimes.
Eighty-six of the 87 vehicles tested in west Fife from February to April passed first time, while 92 of the 94 vehicles examined in the Levenmouth zone also passed first time.
North-east Fife councillor David MacDiarmid described his area’s report as ”absolutely shocking” and called for all of the operators mentioned to be called to a special meeting after the elections.
”These guys just have to look at west Fife and central and step up to the plate here,” he said. ”We’ve been dealing with this since 2007 and they just aren’t getting their act together they are dragging the rest of Fife down.”
Councillor Jim Burke pointed out that a local taxi firm had five out of six plates removed just 18 months ago, but said operators still hadn’t heeded warnings.
And he added: ”It needs to be made absolutely clear that on safety grounds and health grounds, this is not acceptable.”
After seeing the condition of vehicles being submitted for inspection, St Andrews councillor Bill Sangster called for the retest fee for those who fail first time around to be doubled, although that is likely to be considered at a later date.
”The fee needs to show the operators that they can’t just put a car in, find out what’s wrong with it and get it back on the road,” he said,
”Twenty-odd pound is nothing to an operator. Fancy putting a vehicle in for a test with the bodywork bashed and the seats dirty.”