Harlow Council taxi and private hire enforcement sees 18 vehicles suspended in 12 months
News / Sat 12th Jul 2025 at 01:14pm
HARLOW Council has released its annual report on taxi and private hire licensing, highlighting application numbers, compliance checks, and enforcement activity carried out between April 2024 and March 2025 reports taxi-point.co.uk
The licensing team processed a total of 404 applications under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 and Town Police Clauses Act 1847.
These included 121 new or renewed driver applications, 276 vehicle licences, and 7 private hire operator applications.
Applications were accepted by email or in-person appointments, with all timely submissions processed within expected timescales.
A key focus of the report was compliance enforcement. Over the course of the year, 144 vehicles were inspected either at the roadside, council test stations, or as part of enforcement operations. Of these, 94 vehicles were found to be fully compliant. Eighteen vehicles were suspended after failing to meet MOT standards, not including emissions checks.
Two specific inspection sessions were carried out at the council’s testing station with a qualified MOT inspector. These sessions checked 33 vehicles, made up of 5 Hackney Carriages and 28 Private Hire Vehicles. This breakdown reflects the proportion of vehicles licensed by the authority.
In addition to council-led checks, four joint enforcement operations were held with other licensing bodies. These included a session with Uttlesford District Council, one with Transport for London, and two multi-authority operations at Stansted Airport. These joint efforts are designed to help identify non-compliant vehicles from other areas operating within or through Harlow.
The report also detailed the number of complaints and resulting actions. A total of 49 complaints were recorded, covering issues such as driver conduct, driving standards, vehicle condition, and fare disputes. Most of the enforcement response involved issuing advice or warnings. Forty drivers were issued verbal or written guidance, while three received formal warnings. Two cases resulted in immediate action due to public safety concerns: one suspension on medical grounds and one revocation.
The council confirmed that joint operations and enforcement checks form part of its continued efforts to maintain safety and compliance across the licensed taxi and private hire sector.
Seamus
2025-07-12 19:51:59
The use of some relatives licence so an unchecked driver can earn money through the illegal way is not unknown in many places and I'd by suprised if it isn't happening in Harlow. Drivers who have not been enhanced crb checked, licensed check driving in a relatives cab illegally is a genuine concern. Checks for this need to be regular if we are going to have rust in our minicab systems.
Adrienne
2025-07-13 09:12:29
Taxis need to be in tip top condition.And I think they should be a bit more disabled friendly .You can get Pushed into a black cab with a wheelchair or your scooter Which alot of mums and dads with push chairs,it is high time we had a vehicle update for taxis too
C
2025-07-13 09:40:34
People in wheelchairs are not positioned properly in black cabs they should be facing the driver if he had to pull up quickly it could be fatal if not positioned properly this has been a issue for many years
Derek Clark
2025-07-13 10:28:40
Out of 144 taxis, 94 were ok, that says one third of them should not be on the road. Think about it, one third, that's far to many. Maybe they should be MOT every six months as that number of taxes/drivers breaking the law is not acceptable, when you hire a taxi you expect the taxi to be fully compliant with the Road Traffic Act, clean and tidy, not have bald tyres or worn out brakes and have a carpet full of someone's vomit still in it. I don't use taxis an awful lot but I do know that most of them make me shudder when I get into them, they smell, are dirty and look like they were dragged out of a scrap heap the day before. Some of these people need to stop thinking they can do as is done in the back streets of some other country's. Taxis need to be of a very high standard and so should the drivers driving, my experience again is that most race from A to B to get more jobs in for the hours they drive, there's very little care for a good driving standard, or the high way code regulations.
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