Taxi Driver Online

New signs for private hire cars

Torridge District Council is introducing compulsory new signs for the district's fleet of licensed private hire cars to improve public safety.

Until now private hire vehicles have only been required to display the standard licence plate on the rear of the vehicle, together with a smaller plate inside. The new oval-shaped signs will be fixed to the front doors of the vehicles and display the words "Private hire vehicle - advance bookings only." Smaller signs with the same wording will also be displayed in both front and rear windscreens.

Tony Nicholls, the council's licensing manager, said: "The council has introduced the new signs for a number of reasons. The main purpose of the signs is to protect the public by making private hire vehicles more readily identifiable. This will make it much harder for rogue drivers to masquerade as licensed hire cars. If a vehicle does not display the signs or a licence plate, it means it is not licensed by the council and people should not use it."

The council hopes the new signs will also help to clarify the distinction between taxis and private hire cars. Private hire cars can only accept fares which have been booked in advance of the hiring. Taxi drivers, by contrast, can accept fares from a taxi rank or by being hailed in the street.

Operators have until Friday of this week to fit the new signs to their vehicles.

_________________
IDFIMH

_________________
IDFIMH

Good idea, hope it come's to london.

_________________
stressed controller!!!

All London's PH could have a top sign, with PH only on it as all other cabs are black,

Quite.

If the folks in the smoke can't tell the difference between a black cab and a Skoda, then they must be supa dupa thick.

_________________
IDFIMH

It would be a great help if signs stuck on the side of P.H vehicles were removed e.g a company with Hacks & P.H vehicles advertise on both types the name of the company.

Mr & Mrs J Public then get the impression that both types of vehicle are Taxis, there lays the problem.

Still I suppose they are at least doing some thing - but not enough!

_________________
if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.

Maybe there should be a sign from the front to the back affixed to all PH vehicles stating IT IS ILLEGAL TO GET INTO THIS VEHICLE UNLESS YOU HAVE BOOKED IT.

But people still would ................. the only answer is for the drivers of such vehicles to properly inform those seeking to hire the vehicle that they can't and point them in direction of the HC rank or the nearest PH office.

This post comes to you from Cloud Cookoo Land ....................

B. Lucky

_________________
"Here's a simple solution. If you don't want to pay more for a premium service then wait in the queue, problem solved".
Skull on TDO

TF pi$$ed on his chips.

Dont you mean Neverland

_________________
if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.

i.e. the norm.

_________________
IDFIMH

Our council require all PH cars to have "Pre Booking Only" on the doors but as usual there is a devious way round it, I'll let you figure it out