Teesside's biggest taxi firm has been given a final, formal warning by authorities after an investigation into its minibus fleet.
Boro Cars, which has a licence to operate 15 minibuses, appeared before a public inquiry in Middlesbrough after concerns about vehicle and driver safety standards.
Traffic Commissioner Kevin Rooney heard that over two years, the company had been issued with 14 prohibition notices for defective minibuses.
Two of the prohibition notices were reported as being safety critical after examiners found a tyre worn beyond the legal limit and the driver’s view of the road impaired by a device on the dashboard.
A report from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) revealed that the vehicle with the defective tyre had been given a safety inspection 33 days before the prohibition was issued, when the tyre tread depth was recorded as 5mm.
The driver of the vehicle admitted he should have checked the tyre more fully before using the vehicle on the day, and he was issued with a fixed penalty of £200.
A traffic examiner also reported issues with the record keeping for drivers after one of the firm’s employees had previously been reported for drivers’ hours infringements.
A spokesman for Middlesbrough-based Boro Cars said: “The inquiry related only to the operation of 15 mini buses and not to our fleet of cars.
“The checks referred to were carried out 18 months ago and since then, with expert guidance from the Freight Transport Association, we have made significant investments in training, extra staffing, system upgrades and more regular rigorous audits to ensure compliance.
“We are pleased that during the hearing the Commissioner acknowledged the improvements that we have made in the last 12 months and also praised us for carrying out criminal record checks on our drivers, who drive mini buses with more than eight seats, although we are not legally obliged to.
“Looking to the future, we are committed to maintaining the highest of standards.”
The traffic examiner indicated some improvements had been made since the previous driver prosecution but noted that it was still not clear whether the business had been taking action against drivers who committed infringements.
In the last 12 months, the fleet had a 100% MOT pass rate and there had been no further non compliance or prohibitions since March 2014.
Mr Rooney also heard that a number of older vehicles had been replaced, a commitment the business had first given at a previous public inquiry in 2011.
On that occasion, a Deputy Traffic Commissioner recorded a formal warning against the operator’s licence.
Mr Rooney recorded a final, formal warning on the company’s operator’s licence - and three undertakings which the business will have to meet, including that the Freight Transport Association will undertake a yearly audit of its vehicle and driver procedures.
No comments:
Post a Comment