Hire Vehicles - Complaints and Compliments

How to Make a Complaint

If you have a complaint about a taxi driver, vehicle or company, try and talk to the driver or company. If you've done that and the issue hasn't been sorted out, you can complain to us.

You can make a complaint by completing the form on this webpage and then emailing the completed form to:

licensing@e-lindsey.gov.uk

All relevant sections of the complaint form must be completed.

We will need your details, including your name and email address. Your information will be kept confidential. Please be advised that the Licensing Service is not normally able to investigate anonymous complaints.

If you have any queries regarding the completion of the complaint form, or if you have any questions regarding this webpage, please contact the Licensing Team at the above email address.

The Council's Licensing Service can investigate complaints such as:

·       Overcharging (hackney carriage only)

·       Refusal to hire

·       Rudeness/verbal abuse

·       Journey routes

·       Physical makeup of vehicle (e.g. cleanliness)

·       Safety of vehicle (e.g. seat belts in working order)

Other complaints such as dangerous driving, speeding, assault or theft should be reported firstly to the Police and then where appropriate to this Authority.

The Licensing Service deals with a wide range of licensing issues including alcohol, late night refreshment, gambling, pet shop, dog breeding, riding establishment and lottery licensing. With this in mind we do receive a considerable number of enquiries, observations and complaints about licence holders. Please bear this in mind when you are awaiting acknowledgement of your complaint.

Information You Need to Supply

Where possible you should include:

·       A description of the incident

·       The driver's badge number (if possible)

·       The plate number and/or registration number of the vehicle

·       The date and time of the incident and journey details (to and from)

·       Other passenger(s) present

·       The vehicle operator name

·       Your contact details

For those complaints which may end up in Court or Licensing Committee hearing, we will require witness statements from all those present during the incident. If you do not wish to complete a witness statement, the complaint cannot go to Court and will be dealt with in a less formal manner.

What Happens Next

A Council Officer will acknowledge receipt of the complaint within 10 working days, however, the nature of the complaint may not warrant the contents being discussed with the complainant.

We will try and trace the driver/operator concerned and they will be allowed to respond to the complaint. Your contact details are never divulged to members of the trade without your permission. We will consider all the evidence to determine what/if further action should be taken.

Where appropriate - once a decision has been reached, you will be informed.

The Outcome

With all complaints, there must be sufficient evidence in order to take further action. Often this may mean there are witnesses, or some other form of evidence such as CCTV, video or audio evidence.

Where we have sufficient evidence to prove the complaint the Council can either; prosecute the driver if it is a criminal offence, take action against the driver's licence or warn the driver as to their future conduct.

The action depends on a number of factors; for example, some matters of complaint are not criminal offences and therefore cannot result in prosecution. Where there is insufficient evidence, it is unlikely we will be able to take further action. We may record the details on the driver's file and consider the matter if we receive further complaints of a similar nature.

In some cases, we may ask the Council's Licensing Committee (consisting of Councillors) to look at the complaint. The Committee can decide to suspend or take the licence away or issue a warning regarding future conduct.

Hire Vehicles Compliments

Compliments about drivers, vehicle owners or operators are always gratefully received. Compliments can be emailed to:

licensing@e-lindsey.gov.uk

Taxi & Private Hire Drivers Penalty Points Scheme

This Council has adopted a Taxi & Private Hire Drivers Penalty Points Scheme. The aim of the penalty points scheme is to work in conjunction with other enforcement options. The primary objective of the penalty points scheme is to improve the levels of compliance and help improve the standards, safety and protection of the travelling public. Complaints may result in the issue of penalty points.