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New taxi rating scheme set for Pendle

Credit: PA Images

Councillors in Lancashire will meet today ahead of plans to bring in a new taxi rating system. Recent spot checks in Pendle revealed 70% of cabs stopped were not fit for the road. In future those deemed unsafe could be named and shamed.

Last month bosses voted to extended the maximum age a vehicle can operate from 9 years to 11. Pendle Council leader Cllr Mohammed Iqbal denied that the change would lead to a reduction in safety.

If you look at how things currently stand there are a lot of boroughs in Lancashire which have no vehicle age limitations.

"We have had ours for a number of years.

"The age of the vehicle isn't the issue as far as I am concerned because it is highlighted by our testing procedure that cars which are only three-years-old fail the safety checks.

"The issue for me is that at the moment there is no way for the public to know how safe a vehicle is when they ring up for a taxi.

"That is why I have asked the taxi licensing committee to work on a scheme hat would publicise good taxi operators but also highlight the poor ones regarding maintenance and safety of their vehicles. It would be something similar to the star rating system that we have for takeaways and restaurants.

– Cllr Mohammed Iqbal