MORE than 100 taxi drivers in Worcester have flouted the rules in the last year – but none has been punished for it.

Now the city council is to tighten up its penalty system after critics said it is “not working” in weeding out rogue drivers.

One driver was caught over-ranking at The Cross four times in a year – with city licensing chiefs admitting he was “sticking two fingers up” at the authority and getting away with it.

Back in 2010 the council launched a new penalty points system to drive up standards. Under the rules, anyone who amasses 20 points is called before a licensing meeting to explain their actions and can be struck off.

But not a single driver has appeared before the committee in three years, partly because penalty points expire after 12 months.

Carl Phillips, of Worcestershire Regulatory Services, said: “The current system is clearly not working as effectively as it should.

“No driver has come before a licensing sub-committtee for getting 20 penalty points, so it does need improvement.

“In the last seven weeks 20 drivers have been given points and during the last year, 102 drivers have been given points.”

In the previous two years 145 drivers were handed points, but avoided a committee hearing.

Under the changes, from July points will stay on a driver’s record for two years and 15 points will be the trigger point for a meeting with a punishment panel, rather than the current 20.

During the meeting of the licensing committee, some politicians said they believed enforcement is not good enough. Councillor Simon Cronin said: “The reason insufficient points are dished out is because of a lack of enforcement – I haven’t seen a licensing officer at The Cross for two years.”

Mr Phillips replied: “Rest assured, members of Worcestershire Regulatory Services are there on a constant basis – three or four times a week we patrol that rank.”

Coun Jo Hodges said: “This scheme is meant to allow us to identify a small number of drivers who routinely flout regulations, but the fact no drivers have come before us tells me it’s not doing that.

“We need to do something as it’s not serving its purpose.”

Coun Paul Denham, the chairman, said: “One driver got 16 points in a year – in my view he’s sticking two fingers up to this committee, and hasn’t come before us.”

So far only over-ranking and not wearing badges have led to points being issued.