Check Up On Chauffeurs, And The Councils...

Often when we are faced with a task which is hard, it is more comfortable to put it off and ignore it. However, we hope that our council representatives are more accountable than this, unfortunately the Aberdeen Council has just revealed that it isn’t. Oops.

Earlier this year, it was uncovered that limousines operating in Aberdeen are allowed to do so without licenses or security checks. Limousine drivers don’t have to be able to prove to the council that their vehicles are roadworthy in the same way that the local taxi drivers have to. Also, the limousine hire company operators and the limousine chauffeurs are not checked for previous criminal convictions.

The Aberdeen Council has admitted to failing to regulate their local limousine hire industry, but say that they had delayed the task because of ‘staff shortages and because of the complexity of the task’. The European Limousine Association has voiced its outrage over the council’s attitude as the ELA, based in the North East, is always pushing for new rules and laws to protect the public.

Local limo hire operators are also disgusted at the lack of licensing and regulation on behalf of Aberdeen Council and point out that many limousines and chauffeurs ‘carry children about for parties, sometimes unaccompanied. They [chauffeurs] could have any sorts of criminal records’. Even those chauffeurs which have been banned are finding their way back onto the road and behind the wheel, just like James McKinnon who had been banned four times and was subsequently arrested for being caught behind the wheel, chauffeuring passengers.

All limousine hire companies operating in England and Wales must be licensed under the new European Union laws as of 28 January 2008 and the limousine chauffeurs in Aberdeen need to apply for private hire licenses and undergo police checks. Unfortunately the Aberdeen City Council doesn’t have the facilities to grant these private hire licenses, but intends to introduce a new licensing scheme in the next few months.

For more information about hiring a limousine in your area which has the necessary licenses and has undergone comprehensive background checks, contact Limo Broker now.