Travel Safely This Christmas – Unlicensed Taxi Warning
With the festive season approaching the Licensing team at Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council are concerned that consumers may be putting the price before safety when using unlicensed taxis.
Legitimate, licensed, taxis and their drivers are vetted by the Local Authority to ensure they are fit and proper to carry out taxi work. This includes a thorough criminal background check. Unlicensed drivers are not subjected to these checks and customers are potentially putting themselves at risk to a stranger.
Unlicensed vehicles are not checked for safety and suitability for carrying out taxi hire work and are unlikely to have the appropriate insurance cover to undertake taxi work.
When booking a taxi always use a licensed vehicle, a licensed vehicle will display valid plates which carry the Authority’s logo and details of the vehicle licensed.
Licensed drivers must also display a valid driver’s badge so even in a licensed vehicle customers should always ensure they check the badge to ensure the driver is correctly licensed.
Licensing is launching the “Get home safely; use a licensed taxi” campaign to re enforce the message.
Jo Baber, Licensing Officer, stated , “Members of the public need to be sure what sort of vehicle they are getting into, otherwise the consequences could be tragic. Getting into an unlicensed vehicle is essentially the same as taking a lift home from a stranger, it could be anyone in there and you could leave yourself at risk.”
Councillor Chris Barry, Portfolio Member for Licensing, said: “We want all our residents to enjoy the upcoming festivities in a safe environment by following our Licensing teams advice. “
Spotted something? Got a story? Email News@News.Wales
