It appears that last month was a bit of a whirlwind for Liverpool City Council, having their fair share of misbehaving taxi and private hire drivers on their hands. From illegal parking to below-standard vehicles, it seems keeping a handle on the drivers of Liverpool is far from an easy task.
Fines, fines and more fines
According to the council, 120 fines were issued to private hire drivers that had parked in taxi-driver spots last month. Seeing black cabs without spaces, this is an issue that many cabinet members are eager to dispel of. Wanting to make the roads of Liverpool as safe as possible, many have suggested heftier fines in order to combat ill practice.
Liverpool council’s cabinet member for neighbourhoods, Steve Munby , said:
“The council and its partners are committed to making transport in our city as safe as we possibly can for passengers.
“Council officers are regularly involved in patrols and operations to make sure that all taxi and private hire drivers at work in the city are abiding by the rules and their vehicles are safe for the public to use.”
“The vast majority of taxi and private hire drivers perform a great service.”
While many drivers slapped with fines believe the process to be pretty harsh, the council is simply responding to complaints and concerns from workers of the private hire and taxi industry in Liverpool.
“They have complained to us in the past about those drivers who do not play by the rules.
“We have listened to their concerns and taken action” Munby continues.
Putting safety first
In addition to fines and prosecutions for parking, over 40 vehicles were removed from the roads of the city for being unsafe. As a huge focus for the council’s licensing team, it seems Liverpool’s authorities are very much on the ball when it comes to building a flourishing, ethical transport infrastructure.
Let us know your thoughts on the subject. Is this the right approach?
