Posted on the 4th June 2026 in PHTM News

FIFE COUNCILLORS OUTRAGED AS TAXI OPERATORS FARE POORLY IN LATEST SAFETY INSPECTIONS

A senior Fife councillor has expressed deep concern after taxi operators in East Fife recorded shockingly low pass rates in their latest vehicle safety inspections.

Figures presented to Fife Council’s Regulations and Licensing Committee on 2 June, revealed that out of 203 vehicles inspected in East Fife between February and May, 35 failed their first test.

This resulted in an 83 per cent pass rate, which, despite being a slight improvement from last year's 78 per cent, lagged far behind neighbouring areas.

In stark contrast, West Fife achieved a 99 per cent pass rate, while the Levenmouth area saw only one vehicle fail out of 79 checked.

Committee convener Councillor Tom Adams condemned the results, stating: "Once again, North East Fife has let us down. I am at a loss of what we can do to get them and North East Fife to start to comply with what Fife Council expects."

Adams noted that previous meetings and educational roadshows had failed to resolve the ongoing issue, adding: "I am deeply, deeply concerned at what is going on in this area."

Councillor David MacDiarmid also shared his outrage over the persistent failures, calling the report disturbing and "absolutely shocking."

He urged the committee to take a much tougher stance, warning: "As long as we keep on brushing this under the carpet, the more it will happen. If they are not going to clean up their act, get them out."

In defence of the local operators, ward councillor Donald Lothian suggested that geography and a lack of local garage capacity played a role, noting that the vast size of East Fife makes getting vehicle repairs difficult.

However, Councillor Adams rejected the explanation, insisting that "the rules are the same as for every other operator in Fife" and that geographical challenges do not excuse the repeated rule-breaking.

In response to the failures, the committee decided that first-time offenders with clean records must meet with council leadership, while operators with a history of inspection failures will be summoned before the full committee.


Read another story