Councillors demand change after 1,000 Oldham cabs fail condition checks

Oldham councillors have said that taxi passengers in the region are “at risk” after an annual licensing report revealed that 41 per cent of vehicles in the area have failed condition checks since April 2019.

Cabs were found to have a range of problems during the evaluations including unsuitable suspensions, lights, tyres and fire safety equipment.

Chadderton South’s Graham Shuttleworth said he was “seriously concerned” about the numbers, with members of the local licensing committee set to begin talks with the taxi industry and make improvements.

The plans involve reducing the maximum age of taxi vehicles on the road from 12 years to ten. 

John Garforth, Trading Standards and Licensing manager, said that the current pass rate for taxis in the borough was “disappointing” and “concerning”.

An agreement has been made to gather more information about the failures and present these findings to the taxi trade.

The total number of taxis found to have failed condition checks in Oldham since last April was 1,044.