Anderlecht (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): In early September, police and Brussels Mobility checked 33 taxis at Gare du Midi, finding 16 rule violations (49%). Officer Gert Claus and Inge Paemen emphasized the need for safety and fair competition in the taxi industry.
In early September, the police in the South zone worked with Brussels Mobility to check taxis at the South Station (Gare du Midi). This was part of a training exercise for the officers. They checked 33 taxis in total, and 16 of them were breaking the rules. This means that almost 49% of the taxis they checked had problems.
What taxi rule violations did police find during Anderlecht inspections?
According to Gert Claus from the police, they found a lot of taxi rule violations because they focused on checking taxis that seemed more likely to have problems. Instead of checking all taxis randomly, they looked for specific signs. During an inspection at the South Station, they found many taxis with expired documents like old registration and insurance papers, which means they weren’t following the rules. Some taxis also had worn-out tires, which is dangerous. One driver even had two different licenses, which is against the law. These issues show that many taxis aren’t following the rules, so it’s important to keep checking to make sure public transport is safe and legal.
According to Claus, people shouldn’t have two driving licenses. If someone is banned from driving and says their license is lost, they might show a valid one during a check, but officers need to make sure it’s real. The inspection on September 12 was for training new officers about taxi rules. Inge Paemen from Brussels Mobility said they often check taxis, trucks, and school buses with the police. Recently, they found that about 38% of the vehicles had problems during a big inspection. They thought the experience was good and want to do more checks. In September, they made four reports for drivers with issues and five for taxi companies, warning seven operators and four drivers. They check both taxi ranks and street taxis, including those from services like Uber.
It has been said that if taxi drivers break the rules, they might get a fine, taxi companies could lose their licenses, and drivers could lose their driving licenses too, depending on how serious the issue is. Paemen said the checks are done for safety and to stop unfair competition in the taxi business. They also check if all taxi workers are registered, which not all companies do. Since many taxis still have problems, some wonder if the checks are working. Paemen thinks they are effective but suggests making it clearer to drivers that these checks happen so they know they could get caught.
