More than 200 taxis and PHVs checked in Preston as part of multi-licensing authority operation
In a coordinated effort with licensing teams from Preston City Council, South Ribble Borough Council, and Wolverhampton Council, the police targeted more than 200 taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) to ensure compliance with regulations as part of National Licensing Week.
The operation kicked off at Preston Train Station before shifting to a designated check site on London Road. Specialist roads policing officers and members of the Serious Disruption Unit (SDU) were deployed, with additional roaming patrols covering South Ribble.
Throughout the evening, more than 200 licensed vehicles from various councils across the country were stopped and inspected. The inspections resulted in numerous warnings issued to drivers for issues such as incorrect plates or missing visible identification. Additionally, three taxis and PHVs were immediately suspended from operating due to serious vehicle defects.
Passengers encountered during the checks were said to have expressed their appreciation for the multi-agency effort, highlighting the importance of safety and ensuring that taxi drivers are properly licensed.
A Preston Police spokesperson said: “All this week we've been sharing a little bit of what our police licensing do as part of National Licensing Week. The final part of the week saw them working with taxi licensing from Preston City Council, South Ribble Borough Council and Wolverhampton Council.
“We started the evening at Preston Train Station before moving on to a check site on London Road with specialist roads policing officers & SDU officers and had roaming patrols across South Ribble.
“Throughout the course of the night over 200 taxis licensed from councils across the country were stopped and inspected by officers, numerous warnings were issued to drivers for having incorrect plates/stickers or not having visible identification and we saw 3 outright suspended from operating as a taxi due to vehicle defects.
“We'd like to thank the passengers that we spoke with during these checks, all were appreciative of the multi-agency work to ensure that taxis are safe to be in operation and that the drivers were genuine licence holders.
“To any taxi drivers out there that have ever used the word "you don't licence me" don't worry, we may not licence you, but we'll happily get the relevant taxi licensing authority involved!
“We hope that you've enjoyed seeing just some of the work that Police Licensing do.“
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