Taxi Driver Online

A colour has been chosen for Cambridge's new fleet of taxis

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/c ... d-14886993

There's a serious reason why a new livery is important

Cambridge is getting a new fleet of taxis - and they're going to be silver.

Councillors agreed on the colour yesterday (July 9), but could not decide on a colour for the taxis' stripes.

The members of Cambridge City Council's licensing committee were worried indistinct colours would be difficult for "drunks" to see.

They initially agreed on a yellow and black chequered pattern for the stripe, councillors were persuaded it was “too ugly”.

"Whatever we choose, it’s going to be for a long time,” said Yvonne O’Donnell, the city council's environmental health manager. “We have a duty, not just for the safety of the community, but also the image of the city.”

Other suggestions, including a red stripe, and Cambridge blue and green, were met with criticism and concerns the designs might be too indistinct. Fully Cambridge blue taxis were deemed to be too similar to a livery already being used by a commercial taxi operator.

Taxi liveries could save lives

Cllr Jeremy Benstead said the new livery had to be distinctive so passengers could easily distinguish licensed city cabs.

He cited the 2005 killing of Cambridge student Sally Geeson as an example of how clearly identifiable liveries could potentially save lives.

Miss Geeson was picked up by a soldier who had been posing as a taxi driver.

Cllr Benstead also wanted to make sure the design would be discernible to anyone emerging from city pubs in potentially poor lighting.

“My problem is whether it will be visible in poor light,” said Cllr Benstead. “Will drunks be able to differentiate between one of our licensed hackney vehicles that are properly insured from an out-of-towner from 20 miles away, or even further?”

Andy Vines, chairman of Cambridge City Licensed Taxis (CCLT) said drivers welcomed the new livery.

He said silver was a cheap colour for them to implement as it was provided as a standard base colour by most manufacturers, and said getting a stripe on the side would be cheaper than paying for a “wrap” that covered the whole vehicle.

Cllr Gerri Bird, chairwoman of the committee, said the new colour scheme will be required of each vehicle when the license came up for renewal. She said it could take up to nine years for all 321 hackney carriages in Cambridge’s fleet to adopt the new colours.

In October, councillors will decide which colour stripe should be included in the colour scheme to go with the already agreed silver.

Presumably she means when the *vehicle* comes up for renewal, not the licence

Unless they have nine-year licences in Cambridge

It's not the Taxi Drivers fault they get so pissed they end up with Monochrome Vision, why the hell should the trade pay, besides all colours look different under street lights, Maybe the bigger clue even for the Paralytic is a 2 foot long sign saying TAXI on the roof, and if they can't read that then they are to drunk to be let in a Taxi..

It pee's me off that we have to cater for every type of diversity and group these days, If this Equality that the PC loons drills into us all day and every day really is meant to help equality then such PC crap would not exist....Whether Your Drunk, Green, Purple white or Brown, your all the same in my book...the only sure way to halt equality is to preach about it all the time and let people get along in peace instead of telling us we are all different and have to be treated the same when we do anyway..

Who will we have to cater for next?......People with Piles or customers who wear yellow socks and fear the interior Trim clashes with them??

I think they are overlooking the plight of one minority group here- the colourblind drunk. They deserve better treatment by councils. Colourblind drunkenness should be recognised as a disability.

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Former taxi driver

this is happening up and down the country but they ignore the fact that they could all make plates one uniform colour nationwide which would assist in identifying a genuine hackney from a PH

They could use taxi marshals to ensure at the main ranks people get into a genuine cab

they could also not license similar or identical vehicles as PH which would aid identification

uniformity of signage including roof lights could also be used

But no they have to have their own colour scheme which of course the drivers have to pay for

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

you been celebrating the football a bit hard

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Nice to see the big decisions being addressed, or not, by the butcher the baker the candlestick maker.

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IDFIMH

So green stripe it is then.

Cambridge’s taxis to get a new look

http://www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/n ... -1-5722196

Green stripe agreed - but some wanted Cambridge blue

Official Hackney Carriage taxis in Cambridge will get a new colour scheme to make them more recognisable – but it could take years to update the entire fleet.

City councillors agreed official Cambridge taxis should have a silver base colour in July, but they could not decide on a colour for their stripes.


Image: Cambridge Independent

Members of the licensing committee were concerned that indistinct colours would be difficult for “drunks” to see, while initial calls for a yellow and black chequered pattern for the stripe were rejected as “too ugly”.

On Monday, the committee agreed that a dark green stripe, following the natural line of the vehicle, would be added to silver taxi cabs and minibuses. The city council’s crest will be displayed on the doors.

There was some disappointment that a lighter Cambridge Blue – a colour used in this newspaper’s news pages – was not chosen for the stripe to foster a sense of identity.

Former city mayor George Pippas said: “I prefer Cambridge blue. It represents Cambridge and says to people: ‘You have arrived’.”

But it was feared it would lack contrast against the silver background.

In July, Cllr Jeremy Benstead said the new livery had to be distinctive so passengers could easily distinguish licensed city cabs.

He cited the 2005 killing of Cambridge student Sally Geeson as an example of how clearly identifiable liveries could potentially save lives.

Miss Geeson was picked up and killed by a soldier who had been posing as a taxi driver.

The new colour scheme will be applied when each taxi’s licence comes up for renewal.

It could take up to nine years for all 321 Hackney Carriages in the fleet to change.


Image: Cambridge Independent

So do they issue nine-year plates in Cambridge, then

Good to know that councillors rejected the 'too ugly' options

No, but I suspect the new rules will be on vehicle replacement.

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IDFIMH