heathcote wrote:
It would appear not only Councils in this instance but also the proprietors require training in the TAXI law.
NO Council who believes in public safety would license a vehicle to carry a number of passengers and have more seats than that number in the vehicle.
A license for a TAXI cannot be granted for 9 passengers.
I took the 9 to be referring to the number of people in the vehicle, ie including driver. So basically it's probably an eight-seater like a VW Transporter, ie three in each row including two passengers in front including the driver.
heathcote wrote:
I do not believe an insurance company will insure a vehicle and its passengers for a greater number than it is licensed for.
Certainly if you're using the vehicle as a cab then insurance won't pay out if it's overloaded, thus in breach of conditions. But that leaves open the question of private use.
Quite common for councils to specify *lower* seating capacity than allowed for under construction and use rules, but not a higher seating capacity.
For example, you could legally use some MPVs for three passengers in one row as a private car, but not as a cab because of seat width restrictions, just as you could legally have had three people in the back of a Ford Escort, but probably not as a cab, depending on local rules.
And I think some councils have banned two passengers from the front seats of Transporter-style vehicles because the middle passenger is too close to the driver - wasn't there a case on here recently about a driver being accused of some sort of sexual touching in that scenario, but what looked like an attempt to get out of paying the fare?
Anyway, presumably here the insurance companies are providing cover on the basis that it's used with the legal capacity as a private vehicle, but with a lower capacity as a cab in compliance with whatever rules the council in question specifies.