Taxi firm ordered off Hamilton roads

A Hamilton taxi company has been ordered off the road after its cars were found to be in breach of safety regulations.

Freedom Cabs Ltd, which has a fleet of about 15 vehicles, had its Approved Taxi Status (APO) status revoked yesterday following an investigation by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA).

NZTA regional director Harry Wilson said all the Freedom Cabs vehicles inspected in a Hamilton taxi enforcement operation in May failed to meet fitness standards.

The issues identified included bald tyres and steering, suspension, and brake faults.

Mr Wilson said in addition to the safety of the vehicles, NZTA's investigation found drivers were working outside their rostered hours, failing to meet NZTA regulations and leaving logbooks incomplete.

In August, the company was found guilty of failing to maintain a register of owners and drivers, and the judge noted that 25 per cent of the company's register was either incomplete or contained incorrect information.

The company was also found guilty of failing to maintain a complaints register.

Mr Wilson said the greatest concern was for the safety of passengers.

"These are serious breaches of regulations intended to protect the public. They were detected during our investigation, but were only part of the reason we decided to take this revocation action," he said.

"Our advisory team provided the company with extensive support for a period of six months to help them improve their safety standards ... but they were unfortunately unable to do this. That left us with no option but to revoke their operating licence."

- NZPA