Introduction
We are responsible for licensing hackney carriages that operate in our area, more commonly known as ‘taxis’.
Taxis can be identified by council issued licence plates which they must display on the back of the car. These plates feature, amongst other things, the vehicle’s registration number and a unique identification number, commonly referred to as the ‘plate number’. If you want to complain about a taxi, it is helpful to make a note of the registration number or plate number.
Hiring a taxi
Many taxis have roof signs, often referred to as ‘top hats’ which, when lit up, indicate the taxi is ready to be hired.
You can hire a taxi in one of the following ways:
- from a designated taxi rank
- by flagging one down, also known as ‘hailing’ a taxi
- with a booking, having contacted a driver or operator in advance
Taxi ranks
Taxi ranks are designated places for taxis to wait for customers. They are places where other vehicles should not park.
You can choose to travel in any taxi that is waiting on a rank. Drivers will sometimes guide customers to the taxi at the front of the rank, out of courtesy, as that driver will have been waiting to be hired the longest.
Private hire vehicles
We also license private hire vehicles, which are vehicles with up to 8 seats that are available to be booked in advance only. They must also display a council issued licence plate, similar to ones issued to taxis.
Licensed drivers
All licensed drivers have a council issued badge, which they should wear at all times when working. The badge will have a number on it and if you want to complain about a taxi, it is helpful to make a note of this number. You should not use a taxi if the driver cannot show you their badge.
The driver of a taxi cannot refuse a fare, unless they have a reasonable excuse, for example the customer is being aggressive or abusive. They should not refuse a fare because the journey is too short.
Fares
The cost of using a taxi depends on when and how far you travel. The total cost of using a taxi is called the ‘fare’. We have set the maximum rate for fares that the taxi drivers we license can charge.
Maximum fare
The table of fares includes a ‘soiling charge’. This is common and is what the customer must pay if they are unwell or have an accident and the taxi becomes dirty. This charge covers the cost of having the car cleaned and what money the driver might lose by having to take it off the road for the remainder of that day or night.
The exact fare that a driver can demand from a customer will be calculated by the meter they have fitted in their vehicle. The driver cannot demand anything more than is shown on the meter, except the soiling charge and any other extra charges shown on the Council’s maximum rate of fares.
Payment
Customers who refuse to pay the full amount, including the soiling charge (if applicable), or leave without paying are breaking the law and can be prosecuted. Although some drivers are equipped to take card payments, many are not, and customers should therefore be ready to pay in cash.
The driver or company and customer can agree a fixed price upfront, and this can be less than what might be shown on the meter at the end of the journey. The driver must always use the meter, whether they agreed a price up front, so that they can demonstrate to the customer that they have not been overcharged. The driver must not start the meter until the vehicle has set off.
Wheelchair accessible vehicles
If you use a wheelchair, the drivers of vehicles that appear on the list of wheelchair accessible vehicles are required by law to:
- carry you while in your wheelchair
- not make any additional charge for doing so
- carry your wheelchair, if you choose to sit in a passenger seat
- carry you safely and in reasonable comfort
The driver should also provide you with mobility assistance if needed:
- to help you to get into or out of the vehicle
- to help you to get into and out of the vehicle while in your wheelchair if you want to travel in your wheelchair
- to load your luggage into or out of the vehicle
- to load your wheelchair into or out of the vehicle if you don’t want to remain in the wheelchair
Some drivers may be exempt from carrying wheelchairs and providing mobility assistance on medical grounds. Drivers who are exempt will have an exemption notice on display in their vehicle.
There are no extra charges for carrying assistance dogs.
Lost property
If you have left something in a taxi and you pre-booked your journey, we recommend that you contact the operator you booked with. This way you can arrange to collect the item if found.
Licensed drivers must hand in any property left in their vehicle at a local Police station, within 72 hours of finding it but are encouraged to try and contact the owner first or return the item themselves, where possible.
Contact Avon and Somerset Police to report an item of lost property, or to check whether an item has been handed in, using the non-emergency telephone number, 101.
Complain about a taxi or private hire vehicle, driver or operator
We are responsible for licensing taxi and private hire vehicles, their drivers and the businesses that take private hire vehicle bookings, called ‘operators’.
Licensed vehicles can be identified by Council branded licence plates, displayed on the back of the car. Licensed drivers are identified by a photographic ID badge, which they must wear.
There are rules that licence holders must follow. They are also expected to be ‘fit and proper’.
Things that should be reported include:
- unsafe driving
- unsafe vehicles
- someone acting as a taxi or private hire without a licence
- taxi drivers not using their meter, even if the price of the journey (the ‘fare) was agreed beforehand
- taxi drivers demanding more than the amount shown on their meter
- taxi drivers unnecessarily taking a longer route to your destination or stopping for a period of time without a good
- reason, causing the fare to go up
- drivers being abusive and aggressive
- drivers refusing to carry assistance dogs or wheelchairs without valid reason, such as a medical exemption certificate
- drivers making sexual comments and asking for or accepting sexual favours
Complaints about dangerous driving, assault or theft should also be reported to the Police.
It is important that issues get reported or they cannot be dealt with. Your name and address will not be shared with anyone without your permission.
You can complain about a licensed person or vehicle on Complaints about a licensed person, vehicle or premises page.
- A record is created and an officer will investigate your complaint and collect all available evidence, including taking statements from the driver of the vehicle and any other witnesses. You may be asked to provide more information.
- Before taking any further action, the officer will be required to prove the allegation i.e. whatever it is that you have complained about. To prove the allegation, the officer must be satisfied that the allegation was more likely to have happened, than not happened.
- If an allegation is proven, the Council may take a number of different actions, depending on the nature and seriousness of the complaint, as well as the track record of the person complained about.
This includes:
-
- giving advice
- an informal warning
- a formal, written warning
- suspending their licence
- revoking of their licence
- prosecuting them