Bristol Airport taxi and private hire operation sees 177 licensed vehicles checked from 25 different authorities
- Perry Richardson
- Aug 10
- 2 min read
A coordinated operation at Bristol Airport saw police and licensing teams inspect 177 taxis and private hire vehicles from 25 council areas.
The checks were carried out by Avon and Somerset Police, the DVSA, and licensing officers from South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and two Welsh councils. The aim was to ensure that vehicles and drivers were meeting all relevant licensing and safety standards.
PC Patrick Quinton, known locally as the “Taxi Cop”, said that three quarters of all vehicles and drivers inspected were fully compliant. The remaining 25% had minor faults such as missing plates or badges, and some with defective lights.
Six vehicles were immediately removed from service due to tyre defects. Three of these were licensed in the local area, while the others came from outside the region. Officers were encouraged to find no unlicensed drivers or vehicles in operation during the checks.
One recurring issue was vehicles with plate exemptions failing to reattach their plates when carrying out standard taxi or private hire work. PC Quinton reminded operators that exemptions only apply when undertaking eligible work and that plates must be reinstated for all other jobs.
The operation is part of ongoing joint efforts to monitor compliance and maintain passenger safety across the region’s taxi and private hire trade.
PC Quinton said: “Working with Police / DVSA / Licensing colleagues from South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and two Welsh Councils, we checked 177 vehicles from 25 different Councils.
“75% of all vehicles/drivers were fully compliant with the many rules you have, the other 25% being the usual issues with displaying plates, badges and some lights out.
“6 vehicles were taken off the road for having tyre issues but only 3 of those were our locally licensed vehicles.
“No unlicensed drivers/vehicles were found this time.
“Something that did come up a few times, were vehicles with plate exemptions not putting plates back on when doing non-executive work.“
