Taxi Driver Online

Private hire taxis to have new signs
Private hire taxis will be required to have new signs stating they cannot be flagged unless pre-booked by an operator

6th July 2010

Private hire taxis in Cardiff will now be under obligation to have signs on their front doors stating they must be pre-booked, Cardiff Council has agreed.

The decision follows a meeting of the public protection committee this morning, in which representatives of private and public hire taxis gave their views.

The request for proper signage of the vehicles came from public taxi provider - the Hackney Carriage Association. Chairman Mathab Khan said:

"We have a problem with private hire cars picking up people without pre booking in Cardiff – which has been going on for many years and we want to clamp down on them."

But Gareth Owens, director of Dragon Taxis and representing Premier and Tiger taxis said their clients did not want signs on the cars – as they are hired for their discreet service.

He said:

"We are equally required to provide a certain standard of service by the council, but we are totally against any signs. Some people want a discreet vehicle to turn up for them, that's why they don't call a hackney carriage.

"There's a proportion of our drivers who have invested in expensive vehicles because they work for a high class customer. When you go to pick up Simon Cowell from Cardiff Airport, he doesn't want a sign on his door."

Private hire taxis are already required state that they are such on any advertising on the vehicle. Owen said his company receives 40,000 calls a week, 35,000 of which turn into completed taxi journeys.

The committee did not feel there was evidence to support the claim private hire cars were illegally picking up passengers who had not previously booked, but agreed some signage on display on the front of the cars would be useful to members of the public.

Operational manager for licensing Paul Shone said: "People wanting to go home at night will get into anything."

The cost of providing the signs will be £4,500, as each sign is £2.66. But it was agreed the sign would not read 'Not insured unless pre-booked by an operator' which would be misleading to the public. Discussions will now take place as to the exact wording of the sign – likely to read: "Advanced bookings only" or "Pre-booked only".

Do you think private hire vehicles should have a sign on the front door? Leave your comments below.

Source; http://www.guardian.co.uk/cardiff/2010/ ... ns-cardiff

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

How many times, exactly, has Simon Cowell Taken a cab from Cardiff airport.

_________________
Grandad,

IMO all PH should have these signs. In our manor they've had them for years, do the public take any notice of them?? DO they heck as like.

add any sign to a PH and it becomes a taxi

and at 2am up broad street its a 7 seater, even if its only a mondeo


the "P" in PH means PRIVATE.....i.e. - no-one knows.....

Do they ALL require a discreet service? What a silly argument.



Surely that would be a chauffeur service then and wouldn't be included in the signage



How so?



With near on 850 cars they can afford it and if they are anything like our lot they'll charge the drivers £9 per set

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

seriously, do you not think total anonymity (no signs, adverts or rooflight) would be far better for private hire?

No.

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IDFIMH

Yes x 2.

why?

hacks object to PH taking flagdowns, take all the signage off a PH and it wont get flagged down

lets have TAXIs that look like taxis and PH that dont

sorted

But it was agreed the sign would not read 'Not insured unless pre-booked by an operator' which would be misleading to the public

why misleading, isnt it true?

anyway ours say "advanced bookings only" , but without them my car looks like im a private motorist, pity i have em really..........

I don't want to get into the rape thing, as I think this site has had more than enough posts on that recently, but customers, particularly vulnerable customers late at night, need to be sure that the licensed vehicle they are getting into is the licensed vehicle they have booked.

Not some dirty old perv.

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IDFIMH

Like one who seems to dribble when he hears the word rape and then, like father jack, shouts deregulate?



CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

WTF is deregulated rape?

You're getting like one of the Naughty Scottish Section posters.

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

PMSL.....read what I typed again and slowly this time

CC

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin