More than 600 taxis and private hire drivers have had their vehicles fail checks after the council sought nearly 2,000 tests.

Statistics included in a council report has revealed the extent of issues with taxis and licensing.

The data shows that the council sought 1,942 tests in total, with just over half of all the tests carried out being passed. 

A total of 140 tests were missed, along with a total of 655 tests on both Hackney carriages and private hire vehicles (PHVs) resulting in a fail.

A Hackney carriage license, more commonly referred to as a taxi,  allows the driver to use a vehicle to transport passengers without prior booking through an operator. 

A private hire license differed in that it must be pre-booked through an operator, such as Uber or a local firm, in order to be licensed and validly insured to transport passengers.

However, some drivers are given a dual drivers' licence, meaning they can operate both Hackney carriages and PHVs. 

As of October, the council has seen a 137 per cent increase in the number of dual drivers' licenses issued since May 2023.

Last year, there were 1,305 dual licences compared to a stark increase to 3088 this year.

The report said: "As members will see from the above figures, the significant increase in licensed drivers has placed an additional burden on officers within the team.

"A recruitment exercise is underway to bolster the team with the additional officers needed in order to meet demand, including extending opening hours of our service reception."

There has been an increase in private hire vehicles also, climbing from 1,030 to 1,756 in total. 

The amount of private hire operators in Oldham has also more than doubled, with a total of 90 now licenced as opposed to the 38 in May 2023.

Hackney carriage licenses remain at 85.

A spokesperson for the council said that the increase is due to a number of changes that were made to the licensing policy surrounding taxi and private hire vehicles. 

Cllr Elaine Taylor, deputy leader of the council with responsibility for licensing, said: “Here in Oldham, our licensing team sets high standards, which are supported by the trade and residents.

“Passengers should be able to get into a taxi knowing that it is safe to be on the road. 

“We expect vehicle owners to prepare their vehicle ahead of the test to ensure it is fit to pass. 

"Depending on its age, it may have more than 1 MOT test each year – the older the vehicle, the greater the number of tests.

“If a vehicle doesn't meet the required standard, then we'll take it off the road until it does.

“We are working to improve the pass rate for all vehicles. 

"If anyone has any concerns about any private hire vehicles or Hackney cabs then contact us.”

Between April and October this year, 36 hearings were heard by the drivers' panel. 

Of those, 21 applications were refused, three licences were suspended and seven were revoked. 

Only four hearings resulted in an application being granted.

Four additional licenses were included in delegated revocations, one of which followed a successful prosecution on September 19 of an unlicensed driver who was disqualified from driving by the court for two years and ordered to pay a fine and costs totalling £4,671.