South Wales Police taxi and minibus enforcement operation uncovers multiple safety failures following 150 vehicle checks
- Perry Richardson
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
South Wales Police and regional licensing authorities detected widespread safety and compliance issues during a weekend enforcement operation that checked around 150 taxis and minibuses across Cardiff and Newport.
The multi-agency initiative, led by the force’s Special Constabulary and supported by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Cardiff Council and Newport City Council, focused on insurance status, licensing compliance and roadworthiness.
Officers stopped approximately 130 taxis and 20 minibuses during the operation. According to South Wales Police, 11 minibuses were issued prohibition notices by DVSA inspectors. A further four taxis received stop notices and six taxis were given improvement notices after checks highlighted faults requiring corrective action.
Police seized one minibus for having no insurance and no licence. DVSA also ordered the recovery of another vehicle judged unsafe to remain on the road. The operation identified a series of immediate risks, with six taxis and six minibuses immobilised due to unroadworthy conditions. These vehicles could not be driven from the inspection site until defects were rectified.
Joint police and licensing operation identifies multiple prohibition notices and two drivers set to face court over dangerous vehicles
Inspectors also issued 11 delayed prohibitions to taxis and five to minibuses where issues did not warrant immediate immobilisation but still required mandatory repairs within set timeframes.
Two drivers have been reported to court on allegations of using vehicles in a dangerous condition. Such prosecutions can lead to fines, licence endorsements or disqualification, and may also trigger licensing reviews by the respective councils involved in the operation.
The scale of interventions during the latest operation suggests that regular multi-agency checks will continue, particularly on high-capacity vehicles such as minibuses used for late-night transport and contracted services.
Chief Superintendent for Cardiff and the Vale, Marc Attwell, said: “During the run up to Christmas the roads in and out of Cardiff become busier and the public must be able to trust the taxis they use. This is why operations like this are so important.
“So much of what we do as a force would not be possible without our Special Constabulary giving up their free time to help police our communities. We are extremely grateful for their vital work on this taxi operation.
“As a force we are committed to taking unsafe vehicles off the road, protecting lives and keeping the public safe.”
