Carrying out taxi tests

[warchild75]

Hi guys I work for a very large national garage chain and have been testing for 5 years or so now. An ex work colleague asked for me to do a taxi test and as a tester himself said any test station in our particular area could do one and just a few extra checks plus stamp a form etc. Now I checked with the qc guy for our company and he said I couldn't do it as our company dont do them at all. We can do a normal class 4 test but not a taxi test. Long and short of it is im not doing it and nearly fell out with my ex colleague. Tried looking for information just for my own reference more than anything? Anyone know more about taxi tests than me. I'm sure most of you do? Thanks

[castrolrob]

some taxi tests vary and test different items and different standards to our mot,look up designated councils etc in the mot guide.youre an mot station,you can only conduct a mot test,some cabs are exempt from the taxi test if tested twice a year for instance but it would still just be an mot test.taxi tests and stations doing em are generally licenced by the local authority and every area tends to test different things.get him to clarify what test you are actually supposed to be doing,he may mean he wants you to test it to pick up stuff for a taxi test the guys having later.as a for instance cab tests can include interior/exterior damage,signs and a whole lotta other stuff that we don't do.

[warchild75]

Yeah its fine. He is a bit of a know it all and has seen on the local council website that any test station In this area can do them. But its not getting done regardless. Think he may have been trying to pull the wool over my eyes. I'll do some digging on the council website and see what that turns up!

[mike617]

As castrolrob said its done by local council but it may need a class 4 test for private use.

[castrolrob]

as youll find in the mot guide some apply standards that are above and beyond anything we can(or should)apply.the local council may have shut their own yard(cos they test em in 99% of cases)and be trying to farm em out but unless things have changed drastically you still have to licenced or at the very least trained in the differing items/standards.wouldnt blame the council for trying to death em out to the local test stations tho,if you can get other people to do a job that's arseache and costs you nothing but hassle and isn't even(generally self financing)why wouldn't you let some one else have the grief?

[warchild75]

Makes sense to farm em out I guess. Just can't work out why he was adamant that any station in this area can do them especially seeing as I haven't had any extra training in that area. I relaise the checks are easy but as I understand they differ from council to council so who knows. I've emailed my local council and the taxi licensing guys to get definitive answer on which stations if any are doing them just to shut this guy down lol

[lonewolf]

Taken from my local Authority website.
The law requires all vehicles to have a yearly MOT test. However, as licensed vehicles provide a
service to the public and have more usage, wear and tear, it is appropriate to subject these vehicles
to a more stringent and enhanced test than the standard MOT test. Prior to licensing any vehicle, it
must have passed this enhanced test at the council's appointed testing station.

The council considers it appropriate to require all vehicles over six years old, to be subject to a six
monthly vehicle test at the appointed testing station. This is to ensure that, as the vehicle gets older,
it still meets the required standards applied by this council, and the law regarding vehicle emissions.
2.38 Vehicles must be presented for vehicle testing at the appointed testing station. Proprietors and or
drivers, must book these appointments themselves directly with Amey. They must make sure that
they organise the tests sufficiently in advance to ensure that the vehicle remains compliant with the
vehicle testing requirements set out in the conditions (i.e. yearly or six monthly).

[lmc]

We do taxis - we're one of the six stations in our borough that are authorised to do them and are listed on the council's website with the taxi licensing information. We have to fill in the inspection report form provided by the council as the test documentation.

[rocket]

i dont miss taxi testing at all with the odd death threat every other month

[castrolrob]

yeah,a lack of second hand tyres,abuse in Urdu and utterly insane repairs bothers me not in the slightest.