City Cabs Undergo Safety Inspections – All taxis Suspended!

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City Cabs Undergo Safety Inspections

 

UPDATE…all taxis in Manchester are suspended from service at this time…the one cab belonging to Manchester Taxi that had yet to be inspected failed to present itself for inspection before the end of the day as required and was subsequently suspended from service by the clerk’s office.

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MANCHESTER, NH- On Tuesday, April 02, 2013, the Manchester Police Department, together with the Manchester City Clerks Office and New Hampshire State Police, conducted safety inspections of the eighteen licensed taxis operating under two licensed taxi companies in the City.

The annual inspections are conducted to ensure the cabs and their drivers meet all the safety and licensing requirements needed to ensure Manchester citizens are provided a safe and quality transportation service.

Troopers assigned to Troop G of the New Hampshire State Police have the expertise and training to conduct the mechanical safety inspections needed to identify potential violations.  Based on their findings, the cab companies may be subject to motor vehicle violation enforcement that can include suspension of the vehicle registration of a taxi if the violations identified by inspectors are deemed to be an immediate safety concern.

In addition to the mechanical inspections, the Manchester Police Department Traffic Division and Manchester City Clerk’s office verify that each cab and driver have the proper licensing and insurance requirements.  Drivers are also subject to drug testing during these inspections.

As a result of today’s inspections, the registrations of 6 vehicles were suspended due to serious infractions that compromised the safety of such things as the braking and steering systems in those vehicles.  These violations were considered so severe that inspectors required the taxi companies to tow the vehicles back to their properties.

Additional violations were discovered that led to the suspension of the taxi medallions issued to the cab company by the City.  Based on the numerous violations identified in their vehicles, Queen City Taxi voluntarily surrendered all their medallions to the City Clerks office until the necessary repairs to their vehicles could be made.  Manchester Taxi Dispatch currently has only one vehicle in operation as a taxi at this time, although that vehicle has yet to be inspected.

It is expected that some of the more minor infractions will be quickly corrected by the taxi companies, allowing them to put some of their vehicle back in service in the near future.  The City Clerks office will be working with the companies to re-issue medallions to vehicles as soon as the required repairs are made.  The vehicles with suspended registrations will need to be re-inspected by Troop G before their registration privileges can be restored.

All these regulations are in place to ensure these licensed transportation services operating in Manchester meet all the necessary requirements that ensure public safety.  Unlicensed transport services are not permitted to operate in the City and citizens using these services should recognize the risks.  The unlicensed vehicles are not subject to this independent inspection and the drivers are not subject to the same testing.  In additional, any insurance covering these vehicles will likely deny coverage for passengers using these cars in the context of a commercial enterprise.

Teens Robbed of I-pod/Cell Phone

 

MANCHESTER, NH- On Monday, February 11, 2013, at about 6:30 PM, Manchester Police responded to a Clay Street address for a report of a robbery.  On arrival, they met with two 16 year old Manchester teens who reported they had been the victims of a robbery a short time earlier on Somerville Street, near Belmont Street.

 

According to the boys, they were walking in the area when they were approached by two men, one of whom demanded their belongings, indicating his companion had a gun, although no gun was observed.

 

One of the boys surrendered his I-pod Nano and Galaxy S3 cell phone and the men left.  They were last seen leaving the area as passengers in an older, dark colored 4-door sedan operated by a third individual who was possibly wearing a red sweatshirt.

 

The first suspect was described as a white male in his forties, about 6’3” tall with a slender build and dark “stubble” on his face.  He was last seen wearing a dark colored vest and a green “beanie” style hat.  The second man, alleged to have possessed a gun, was described as a clean-shaven white male in his forties with an average height and build.  He was last seen wearing a camouflage shirt and khaki pants.

 

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Manchester Police Department at 668-8711.  Anonymous tips for cash rewards can be made through Manchester Crimeline at 624-4040 or online at manchestercrimeline.org.