Cabbies strike over spot checks

Cabbies strike over spot checks


A group of Birmingham taxi drivers have taken their black cabs off the streets for two successive nights in protest over spot checks on vehicles.
The drivers said the checks were unfair as all their cars had to pass inspections and the checks were being carried out at the busiest times. Some people on a night out had to wait an hour for a cab


Passengers faced disruption, people on a night out on Broad Street said they had to wait an hour for a cab.

Birmingham City Council said the checks were to ensure passenger safety.

'Public safety'

Mohammed Shabir, of the Birmingham and Solihull Taxi Drivers Association, said their vehicles were already tested every two weeks and this latest initiative was unfair.

"On Friday evening the city council stopped about 15 of our vehicles and took their plates off them and we're not happy about this," he said.

"They're picking on us on the wrong day, on Friday and Saturday, when it's really busy for us."

A spokesman for Birmingham City Council said: "The spot checks are being carried out to ensure public safety.

"They are being carried out on a Friday and Saturday night because it's at this time that poorer and potentially unsafe vehicles are in operation."