Licensing a death trap - How safe is public transport?

Taxi fitted with 21-year old ILLEGAL part-worn tyre approved for a license with four separate councils!

In February 2020, a 7-year old vehicle was presented for testing as a private hire taxi with four different councils and passed with flying colours.

All four tyres on the vehicle were illegal and part worn. They ranged from 21,19,17 and 10 years old. One of which was a winter tyre imported from Germany.

Two of these tyres were seriously dangerous. One had an illegal repair to the sidewall and the other had two illegal repairs right next to each other.

Liverpool, Sefton, Wirral and St Helens council all approved the potential "death trap taxi" as fit to hold a private hire license.

Each council has a trading standards department entrusted with protecting the safety of the public. One of their activities is visiting tyre garages to ensure they are adhering to regulations around part worn tyres. These include stringent testing and marking the tyres as part worn.

Given that councils actively enforce the law and take action against tyre dealers acting illegally it is shocking that they themselves are not even checking the tyres presented on vehicles entrusted to carry the general public.

It is alarming to think that the unsuspecting public can be driven around in a licensed vehicle with illegal tyres, over 20 years old which have also had unsafe, illegal repairs.

This is why we are calling for a complete BAN on part worn tyres being used on all passenger service vehicles (PSV's) It is clear even with regulations in place to ensure tyres are safe, the council themselves aren't adhering to them.

Thankfully, forward-thinking councils have already recognised that the safety of the public should be their main concern.

The following councils already prohibit the use of part worn tyres on taxis and private hire licensed vehicles:

Ashfield District Council, Barrow in Furness Borough Council, Bassetlaw District Council, Cherwell District Council, Craven District Council, East Northamptonshire Council,Huntingdonshire District Council, Ipswich Borough Council, Mansfield District Council, Rotherham MBC, Rushcliffe Borough Council,South Cambridgeshire District Council, South Northamptonshire Council and West Suffolk Council

Massive respect to them, hopefully, other councils nationally will follow their proactive lead.

Also St Helens MBC have responded very positively to the findings of our campaign and agreed to ban the use of part worn tyres on all licensed vehicles. Great result!

Each licensing department with a stroke of a pen can enforce their own licensing conditions and only allow brand new, safe tyres, fitted by reputable establishments to be fitted to vehicles that carry the public. There is no need for any change in legislation from the government, each council can set their own rules.

It is of great concern that anyone can spend a few hundred pounds on second-hand equipment and sell dangerous used tyres without any form of training, qualification. No licenses are currently required.

It is a daily occurrence that tyres are being sold at car washes, scrap yards and even from peoples back gardens. This can lead to the wrong size tyres being fitted, some that are severely aged, damaged, illegal, and dangerous.

Please join us in spreading awareness around this potentially lethal practice. You can help to ensure the public's safety by signing our petition calling for a complete ban on the use of part worn tyres on all public transport vehicles, click here.

Would you be comfortable with you or your loved ones being transported in a vehicle with a 21-year old illegal tyre?

The main reason this campaign was set up by John Stone was following the tragic, avoidable death of Michael Molloy, a hugely talented 18 year old musician, who was killed on his way home from a music festival along with another passenger and the coach driver.

The tyre that caused the crash was 20 years old, even older than Michael himself.

His mother, Frances Molloy has worked relentlessly to raise awareness around tyre safety and spearheads the #Tyred campaign to bring an age ban on tyres used on Coaches.

One preventable death is one too many.

Please help spread awareness by liking the Facebook page and following us on Instagram and twitter

@banpartworntyr1 (Twitter)

Ban part worn tyres (Facebook Page)

banpartworntyres (Instagram)

Thanks your for your support,

John Stone