Blackburn Council Maintains Taxi MOT Rules to Protect Passenger Safety

Early-morning airport runs don’t forgive mistakes. One delay. One missed train. Suddenly the terminal feels tighter, louder, rushed. In those moments, taxis step in. They always do. And that pressure is quietly shaping a decision now sitting with Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, where safety has become the main talking point.

A report heading to the council’s Executive Board suggests keeping taxi MOT testing exactly where it is. No shake-up. No shortcuts. Licensed drivers would still use the council-run motor vehicle service station at Davyfield Road, instead of choosing any garage they like. On paper, it sounds routine. In real life, it isn’t.

Across the UK, airport disruption has changed how people move, almost without anyone noticing. Rail strikes drag on. Late services vanish. Connections don’t connect. So more passengers turn to taxis and private hire cars, especially for those awkward early departures or late-night arrivals. More cars. More pressure. More reasons for things to go wrong if standards slip.

Earlier this year, the council asked around. Drivers. Operators. Residents. Drivers largely wanted flexibility. Understandably so. The public, though, wasn’t convinced. A survey of 500 residents showed strong support for keeping MOT tests under council control. Trust came up a lot. Consistency too.

Councillor Jim Smith stated:

“Public confidence in taxi safety is key, and we’ve received a clear message from our residents that MOT tests must continue to be undertaken by the council.”

For drivers, the recommendation means sticking with the familiar. The council says staffing at the Davyfield Road site is managed to allow test and retest slots within 24 hours where possible. Not perfect. But predictable. And predictability matters when your car is your livelihood.

For passengers heading to the airport, the impact is quieter. Easy to miss. But it’s there. You feel it halfway down the road. Council-tested vehicles mean fewer breakdowns. Fewer delays. Fewer of those moments when something rattles, just once, and your mind jumps straight to missed flights and gates already closed. It’s reassurance, really. The kind you don’t think about until travel already feels a bit fragile these days.

If approved, the arrangement runs on until at least 2028, when another review comes back around. Until then, the council’s message feels clear enough. When airport disruption nudges more people into taxis, safety doesn’t relax. It tightens. Quietly.