The day of action at East Midlands Airport is part of the council’s countrywide enforcement work focused on keeping passengers safe and ensuring licensed vehicles meet required standards.
The operation, on September 24, saw the council work with 18 other local authorities, East Midlands Airport management team and partner agencies including North West Leicestershire District Council, Leicestershire Police, His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and Driver Licence and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
In total 209 private hire vehicles and drivers, licensed by Wolverhampton and other authorities, were checked by MOT qualified examiners inspecting tyres, brakes, seatbelt safety, bodywork condition and more.
The DVLA, DVSA and HMRC helped check drivers’ registrations, road tax and any use of red diesel.
A total of 35 vehicles, licensed by a range of authorities, were found to have non-compliance issues - nine of which were temporarily ordered off the road until serious issues are fixed. These included tyres being below the legal tyre tread depth, faulty seatbelts or vehicle damage.
City of Wolverhampton Council uses laser technology to check vehicles meet the legal minimum tyre tread depth of 1.6mm and infrared cameras to identfy ghost plates. Three vehicles were found to be using illegal ghost plates, and the drivers will be issued with Fixed Penalty Notices by police.
Councillor Qaiser Azeem, Cabinet Member for Resident Services at City of Wolverhampton Council, said: "This is a great example of our council working with others to help ensure the safety of the travelling public. Safety is our highest priority, and our officers carry out regular enforcement activity across the country wherever our licensed drivers are working.
"We continue to support our council colleagues in other areas in delivering compliance operations that help ensure licensed vehicles meet the standards expected of the trade.”
Councillor Michael Wyatt, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Community and Climate Change at NWLDC, said: “North West Leicestershire District Council was pleased to work with City of Wolverhampton Council and our enforcement partners on this successful operation at East Midlands Airport.
"The day demonstrated the value of joint working in promoting public safety, ensuring compliance with licensing standards and maintaining a level playing field for those drivers and operators who consistently meet the high standards expected of the licensed trade. We would like to thank all agencies involved for their professionalism, commitment and support in delivering such a constructive and effective operation."
More joint, cross-border operations like this are expected to take place in the future.
Under law, applicants may apply to any licensing authority for a taxi or private hire licence, and councils cannot refuse an applicant simply because they live in a different area.
