"ARROGANT" decisions by Reigate and Banstead Borough Council are costing taxi drivers money and business.
The condemnation comes from cabbies after the authority ruled that MOTs for private hire vehicles and hackney carriages must only take place at the council's own centre in Earlswood.
The decision was made last year by members of the council's Regulatory Committee, who said it would ensure safety standards are maintained.
But the ruling is still coming under fire from Reigate and Banstead Taxi Association, whose members claim delays between getting an MOT and having repairs carried out is costing drivers money.
There is also concern that drivers could be left open to prosecution or invalid insurance claims if their vehicle fails its MOT and then has to be driven out of the centre.
Before the ruling, drivers could get their car checked at any garage they wanted, which they said allowed them to have repairs done immediately, consequently enabling them to continue working.
But because the council's MOT test centre doesn't have a garage, drivers have to go elsewhere for repairs before waiting for a retest.
According to some drivers who spoke to the Mirror, they had heard of occasions when some cabbies had been unable to work for more than a week while waiting for the council to book a new test.
"The council's arrangement is arrogant and anti-competitive and the council's MOT test centre is an inadequate, inefficient, bureaucratic replacement to an efficient competitive free-market arrangement," said one taxi driver, who asked not to be named.
"I have had reports of taxis failing the initial MOT, undergoing immediate remedial work and then being told that a follow up test appointment wasn't available for eight days.
"The driver was apparently unable to work for eight days and thus had no income."
Others said they were concerned about the extra cost of MOT re-tests and the potential loss of income while waiting, with the council said to be checking more than 500 vehicles in one centre.
Further concern was raised about failed MOTs impacting on insurance claims, even with a valid certificate.
According to Confused.com, if a car fails an MOT test it should not be driven, irrespective of the certificate status, because "you'd be guilty of driving a car that has known faults".
Ben Murray, licensing team leader at the council, defended the original decision, saying: "Our arrangements provide taxi drivers with a one-stop service for taxi licensing, MOT, vehicle inspection and licence renewal, all at one location.
"By carrying out MOTs on our licensed taxis, we can ensure they are all done at a consistently high level.
"Our main priority is for the safety of our residents – we need to ensure that when a resident uses a taxi in the borough, it is safe to do so."
He added that if a vehicle fails an MOT, it can still be driven to a place of repair and back to a testing centre.
