HUNDREDS of taxis failed compliance tests in the last two years, costing drivers up to £55 every time.

Cabbies say they pay the council millions of pounds in licensing and testing fees every year but complain that they are not getting value for money.

They have criticised the local authority for failing vehicles on minor faults – but licensing bosses refute the allegations, saying that taxi drivers actually pay the council around a quarter of a million pounds every year.

A total of 270 retests took place last year, down from 310 the previous year, a request under the Freedom of Information Act revealed.

Bury Private Hire Drivers’ Association secretary Muhammad Sajjad told councillors at a public meeting last week that cabbies are not satisfied as customers of the council.

He said: “This system is not fit or purpose. We paid close to £1.9m last year in licence fees and MOTs and we are not getting the best value for money. There’s one MOT station and they run their own standards. We want another MOT station for our drivers.”

Hackney carriage and private hire vehicles are tested at an independent MOT testing station run by Bury Council.

The station, which relocated from Bradley Fold to Bolton following a fire earlier this year, carries out taxi testing and testing of singular items such as brakes and headlight alignment.

If a vehicle fails its test, once the vehicle has been repaired it will be presented for a retest. It will then have a certificate of compliance which exempts the vehicle from holding a MOT certificate.

But private hire driver Altaf Hussain claims that most retests are triggered by minor faults.

He said: “I myself had my vehicle tested the other day. I was quite surprised because the vehicle that I purchased was quite new, but they just about passed it. The advisory notes were things like dust on the alloy wheels, the wipers were leaving a smear.

“My concern is the emphasis should be on the mechanical side of things, not minor things. We feel it’s unfair and we are being victimised because of that.”

Licensing unit manager Michael Bridges told the aggrieved drivers that vehicles are not sufficiently prepared when they are presented for tests.

He said: “What’s happening, and this happens frequently, I get phone calls from drivers after tests. I’m told that they failed on one or two faults. But when we get the test sheet there are seven or eight test faults. But when they speak to me they only tell me the ones they are aggrieved about.”

Drivers are charged £55 to test a vehicle. If three or fewer faults are found in the vehicle, there is no fee for a retest. Retests for vehicles with four to 10 faults costs drivers £25.

But drivers are charged the full fee of £55 if more than 10 faults are found in the vehicle.

A council spokesman said that, in fact, taxi drivers paid £166,853  for licences and £109,925  to the testing station for compliance checks – a total of £276,778 in a year.

Councillors are due to discuss how the licensing authority can better support the borough’s drivers at a town hall meeting on Wednesday.

Proposals by the Conservatives include opening an MOT station in Bury by the end of the year, reviewing the process of revoking licenses and ending the “us and them” culture between cabbies and the council.

A private meeting between the council and trade representatives will take place on September 19.