Taxi Driver Online

If a LA insisted on hack saloons being white and someone plated a nice car (Merc, BMW) with the meter and rooflight, would the owner be breaking the regs/law if he took a wedding booking and removed the rooflight/signs (leaving the plate on though) and charged what a wedding car would charge - i.e. a lot more than meter fare.....

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

Much will depend on what the licensing authorities conditions of licence contain. The only offence under statutory legislation would be if the licence plate was not displayed. Removing the meter, For Hire light and top light shouldn't cause any issues unless the licensing authority say otherwise. For that information; you would need to ask them.

hang some flowers over the meter....lol

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

One of my drivers is loaning her vehicle to her partner at the end of the month to use as a wedding car (he does have a hackney badge) as far as I am aware as it is a pre booking and the driver is insured for the vehicle there isn't a problem the only problem would be if the vehicle wasn't PRE booked but hired straight off the rank

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

Our council say that once a vehicle is licensed as a Hackney it will remain a hackney until it is no longer plated. The conditions here say that a hackney carriage must have a working top sign fitted and a meter and the 2 must work together. So it would seem that here, at least, you can't remove the top sign.

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Grandad,

Ours state that the Taxi top sign can be removed for weddings and funerals

do they have a legal definition of the size of a rooflight and what it should have on it?...

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

Ironically - the other way round - probably wouldnt breach any laws, using an unplated Lti/TX2/Fairway, etc painted white for weddings....

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

A taxi is always a taxi etc etc.................

So it should always have the things the council insist on, all the times it is licensed.

The meter fare must be the maximum if the job starts and finishes in the licensed area.

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IDFIMH

Right, once a taxi, always a taxi until it's withdrawn from service, regardless. You'd have to surrender the plate as well to make it not a taxi and get a proper MoT! This has all been tested in the courts with PSV laws.

Nothing wrong with using a white taxi for weddings with an unlicenced taxi driver providing it's not a licenced cab.

I think it's possible to suspend a license, but that's more grief than it's worth.

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IDFIMH

might be ok out of the LA then....lol

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

We have guys here whos cars are plated as Hackney Carriages in South Oxfordshire but they drive them in our town to do Private hire work but only display the plate not the TAXI roofsighn.
I Think its Illigal, But Apparently Hackney Carriages Vehicles can work in other areas as Private Hire?

Oh yes, fill your boots.

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IDFIMH

pre-booked yes, an PH can pickup/drop anywhere too............prebooked

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most