Driver safety enclosure review for private hire taxis
Safety enclosures separating drivers from passengers inside private hire taxis in Wolverhampton are to be reviewed by licensing bosses, following the death of a driver last year.
Cabbie Anakh Singh, 59, was discovered with fatal injuries in Nine Elms Lane, Park Village, on October 30.
He was pronounced dead at the scene. Mr Singh is believed to have been working for Wolverhampton-based firm ABC Cars when he died.
Tomasz Margol, 35, appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court in December where he denied a single count of murder and was remanded in custody for trial on a date yet to be set.
City council spokesman Oliver Bhurrut said the review was not directly linked to the stabbing.
"As a licensing authority we constantly review driver and passenger safety and ways this can be improved," he said.
In a report to the city council’s regulatory committee, licensing manager Greg Bickerdike said: “The Private Hire Trade Working Group have expressed a desire for Driver Safety Enclosures (DSE). Whilst this committee has already permitted vehicle proprietors to install CCTV within their vehicles, if it complies with the council’s taxi CCTV policy, newer equipment is now available to protect drivers.
“This novel equipment is not covered by licensing services’ current policies. These are typically rigid plastic enclosures which are installed in a vehicle to segregate the driver from the passengers.
“The council acknowledges the protective features of these products but recognises that amateur installation and/or unapproved products result in increased risks, particularly in relation to road traffic collisions. Due to the profile of this issue in the media and trade, a six-week consultation on driver safety enclosures is being requested.”
Once approved by the committee, the following parties will be consulted: service users (licence holders and applicants), The Hackney Carriage Trade Working Group, The Private Hire Trade Working Group, other licensing authorities, National Association of Licensing Enforcement Officers (NALEO), Institute of Licensing (IoL), Black Country Magistrates Court, Department for Transport (DfT), West Midlands Police, disabled groups, equality diversity and inclusion team.
The council’s regulatory committee will discuss the matter next Wednesday.
For more information on taxi safety see wolverhampton.gov.uk/licences/taxi-licences/gethomesafe
