Illegal tyre, overloading passengers and rank PCNs: Liverpool’s taxi and PHV team kept busy

Liverpool’s taxi and private hire enforcement team clamps down on a series of incidents over the weekend.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, a Sefton licensed private hire driver was suspended from working due to a defective tyre found by Liverpool City Council’s (LCC) licensing enforcement team.

Just hours before that a Hackney Carriage taxi was caught carrying six passengers in a five seated vehicle. According to LCC, the incident has been reported for enforcement action.

Carrying more people than the licensed amount allowed in a taxi or private hire vehicle, invalidates insurance and could cost the taxi driver his licence to operate.

As part of a campaign called ‘Operation Yellow’, enforcement officers also clamped down on vehicles parked on working taxi ranks. In photos shared by LCC, multiple non-taxi vehicles were seen with Penalty Charge Notices (PCN) attached to their windscreens.

Vehicles parked on active taxi ranks stop taxis plying for hire during peak times like Friday and Saturday nights.

The motorists parking on the taxi ranks in Liverpool must now fork out £70 for the misdemeanour, with all fines payable within 28 days of the PCN being issued. However, if motorists pay within 14 days the council will reduce the fine by 50% to £35 respectively. 

Image credit: LCC Licensing