The licence held by Ulverston-based Blueworks Taxis has been cut from four vehicles to three by Traffic Commissioner (TC) Simon Evans. In addition, he has given the company a month to show it has sufficient financial resources or face having its licence revoked.
The firm, of Foxwood Hill, Backbarrow, Ulverston, had been called before the TC at a Golborne Public Inquiry [routeone/Court Report/4 July].
In his decision the TC said that there was a clear public need – quite often met by smaller operators with a fleet of rather older vehicles – to fill the gap in bus service provision, which was left by the withdrawal of subsidies to local services in rural communities. Such a provision however could not be at the cost of any increased road safety risk to its users.
The company, with quite some local public support, had tried to meet such a need in south Cumbria. However, Director Philip Halliwell had been spread too thinly across the business, operating both national and special restricted O-Licences, as well as local authority taxi licences.
What was clearly exposed was his lack of current knowledge and understanding of the expectations of a licence holder, reflected in his failure to address the change of operating centre. Also, in the poor judgement and decision-making at the time when he chose to send out a vehicle with a brake warning light on for an extended period when he could not have been sure that the problem related to the sensor as opposed to the brakes themselves. There was an of recklessness there which would have unacceptably increased the risk to passengers on a school service
Financial and budgetary margins were tight, as was evidenced by a fleet that barely covered the workload. He was concerned that work was not carried out on a vehicle when it ought to have been because it would have been likely to mean that the company would not have been able to run its school service. The timing of maintenance decisions might be directly related to the availability of funding, as well as to the availability of spare vehicles.
There were some positives. The licence had been in force for eight years without previously coming to the attention of the regulator. Assurances had been offered about the provision of immediate funding via a business loan to meet financial standing.
If the licence curtailment necessitated the cancellation of one or more registered services, then so be it. However, if the intention was to continue to run registered services, it remained important that vehicles were available to cover such work.
The TC attached three undertakings to the licence. Firstly, that the company would commission an audit of the maintenance of its vehicles during the first two weeks of December. Secondly, that Mr Halliwell would attend a two-day transport manager refresher course. Thirdly, that preventive maintenance inspections would take place at no greater period than every eight weeks.
