At a recent meeting of the Taxi and Private Hire Licensing Forum, the reporting of accidents was discussed, especially in respect of drivers working on school contracts. It was agreed that the process will be explained in detail on this bulletin board as a reminder for all Sandwell Licensed Drivers.
- If you have a TAS badge and provide transport for passengers on behalf of TAS/Children’s Trust at Sandwell Council and your vehicle is involved in an accident whilst you are transporting them you need to immediately inform your Operator of the accident. If you are unable to contact them immediately, then contact the TAS team to make them aware of the accident. TAS will then advise you what to do next e.g. if onward transport is required. Following TAS procedure you MUST call 999 to establish if medical attention is required for your passenger(s)/yourself. The TAS team can be contacted on 0121 569 4888.
- Your private hire and hackney carriage conditions require that you report an accident to the taxi licensing team, no matter how minor, within 1 working day. The accident MUST be reported by the DRIVER, third party reports can not be accepted, and can be done by email. There is an accident form that must be completed and this is available on our web pages. You must include pictures of the damage and at least one of the pictures MUST include the vehicle registration number. The email address to send the accident form and pictures to is taxi_licensing@sandwell.gov.uk
- Once the report has been received by the Taxi Licensing Team an officer will contact you and depending on the damage, may suspend your vehicle until the damage is fixed.
- If you need to return your plates to the taxi licensing office, there is a post box next to the taxi licensing reception where you can leave your plates.
- In the event that your vehicle is served with a Section 68 notice, it MUST NOT be used for any type of work which requires a licensed vehicle – e.g. to pick up paid passengers or school/Children’s Trust contracted work.
- In the event that your vehicle is served with a Section 60 notice, you can continue to use the vehicle for any type of work which requires a licensed vehicle for 21 days, but, if the vehicle is not fixed after 21 days then you must return your plates to the taxi licensing office until your vehicle has been repaired.
- Each suspension letter details what you can and can not do and how you can appeal the Council’s decision.
If you require any further information, or have questions about your conditions of licence or your obligations, please contact the Taxi Licensing Team for assistance on 0121 569 6655 or by email to Taxi_Licensing@sandwell.gov.uk where you will be given advice to ensure you know what to do to remain compliant, both now and in the future.