CABBIES QUESTION: Do passengers care if their private hire vehicle is licensed in the area?
As a publication, TaxiPoint recently posed an interesting question to its readers: would passengers change their minds if they were told the taxi or private hire vehicle (PHV) arriving to pick them up was not licensed in the area?
The question prompted over 150 mixed responses from drivers across the UK, but a clear theme emerged – most think passengers don’t care due to being unaware of the rules.
Jason Kauder observed that Uber and its drivers, operating across multiple licensing authorities, are doing well from the cross border rules. Carl Hoar echoed this, saying, “Doubt if the punters care”. Similarly, Imran Hussain and Kenneth Keenaghan agreed that passengers simply want a convenient ride, often with price being their main concern.
However, some drivers felt passengers might be more concerned than we think. Scott Jardine has noticed passengers questioning why vehicles from Wolverhampton, Bury, or Oldham are operating in Liverpool, and said some now prefer local Hackney cabs at night, potentially due to safety concerns.
So, do passengers care? According to most drivers, no. But some, like Scott, believe awareness of non-locally licensed cars picking them up is growing.
This brings us to the rules surrounding cross border taxi operations. In England, taxi and PHV drivers must be licensed, but they are often able to pick up fares outside the council area that issued their licence. This has become a contentious issue, particularly in larger cities, as drivers from other regions flood the streets, leading to concerns over safety and enforcement.
Lichfield District Council has proposed a policy to address this. Their plan requires operators to inform passengers when an out-of-area driver or vehicle will be used for their journey.
This could provide greater transparency and allow passengers to make more informed choices. But the real question remains: will this policy actually change behaviour? If the feedback from TaxiPoint readers is anything to go by, it’s unlikely to have a major impact. Most passengers just want to get from A to B without worrying about licensing boundaries. For now, the debate continues.
