Braintree Council has introduced new taxi signs for all licensed taxi vehicles. The new signs are designed to ensure that taxi customers will feel a lot safer and secure in using a vehicle that is easily recognised as a licensed taxi cab.

The new taxi signs will be displayed on both the front and rear of all licensed cabs. Originally the only sign displayed on a licensed cab was a plate on the rear of the car and a small plate displayed in the front windscreen on the cab.

A Braintree councillor said that with the new high visibility signs on the taxi cars it will be easier for passengers to make a booking or to raise a complaint by easily identifying the vehicle.

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Public hire taxi drivers have decided to go on strike in Chelmsford with immediate affect after the local taxi licensing department failed to put s stop on licensing further vehicles.

The decision to strike was put on hold by members of the Chelmsford Taxi Association (CTA) when talks failed with the Council chiefs; they decided to continue with the strike action. The Council has decided not to limit the number of drivers.

The CTA secretary said that members are angry and upset because the Council has failed to listen or take their issues to account. Also further action is planned unless the Council is willing to talk to them to resolve all the issues at hand.

The current licensed taxi drivers are already facing hardship due the number of taxi cabs already on the road. With even more cabs this will cause severe hardship to drivers and their families. With the cost of fuel, taxi insurance on the rise some drivers may even face bankruptcy.

A Council spokesperson said that they CTA should reconsider the strike action as the Council will be carrying out a survey early on next year regarding the number of licensed taxi vehicles operating in the Chelmsford borough.

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A North Devon taxi driver has lost 4 weeks of income after he had failed to pay his taxi badge renewal fee on time.

The cabbie, after receiving a letter from the Council stating that he would have to reapply for his taxi badge, went to see the council and offered to pay the renewal fee. However the Council explained to him that they were unable to alter the rules and he has to go through the process of re-applying.

A Council spokesperson said that a letter was sent to all licensed private hire and taxi drivers in January of this year outlining the fact that all taxi licenses must be renewed before the expiry of their existing licenses.

Active Insurance is a leading UK broker specialising in taxi insurance for the Hire and Reward trade.

A number of licensed private hire drivers from Woking, Surrey had their taxi licenses suspended after picking up passengers without any prior bookings. A private hire vehicle cannot pick up passengers without it being pre-booked, however a public hire taxi car can be hailed on the street.

The four private hire drivers had their taxi badges suspended after a meeting of Woking Council’s licensing committee decided to revoke the driver’s badges pending further investigation.

A joint operation with Woking taxi licensing officers and Surrey police were able to catch 4 private hire drivers who were ‘touting’ for taxi business in the town centre

Although the drivers were suspended, it was found that all the 4 private hire drivers had the correct paperwork with all the vehicles plated and also carrying the required safety equipments. The only issue was that as private hire licensed drivers their insurance policies only provide cover for journeys that are pre-booked. All private hire drivers must have a private hire insurance policy in place prior to using their vehicles for the carriage of passengers.

Both the private hire and the public hire black cab taxi’s are not allowed approaching customers directly for business. A customer may pre-book their journey by either using a minicab firm or alternatively approaching or hailing black cab taxi on the road.

A local Woking Police officer stated, ‘That taxi and private hire drivers are fully aware of the conditions of their taxi licenses and the regulations that they must obey by.”

Private hire drivers are only license to carry passengers who have a prior booking, while Hackney Carriage drivers are only licensed to accept fares from customers who have approached them.”

A council spokesperson said, “Further spot checks and investigations will be carried out until the message gets understood by all licensed drivers that disregarding regulation rules will not be tolerated.”

It seems taxi insurance premiums have been steadily increasing over the last year. In some cases the rates have increased by almost fifty percent. So what can a taxi driver do to get cheap taxi insurance?

Well the good news is that competition between the different taxi cab insurance providers is still fierce and deals can still be found if you take the time to shop around a bit. Most taxi insurance customers choose to go online to get the best possible rate for their taxi vehicle. This method is probably the most effective as you can easily search for multiple providers very quickly from the comfort of your home.

By going online and getting a quotation from a specialist taxi insurance broker you can easily save £100’s of pounds from your existing renewal. Insurance agents that specialise in hire and reward insurance policies are the best source for obtaining the best possible taxi insurance quote. They will have in depth knowledge of the taxi trade and will search a panel of taxi insurance companies to get you the best possible price on your private hire or hackney carriage vehicle.

Also with a taxi broker you will most likely be offered to have the payments on your taxi policy to be spread over 9 or 10 months via a premium finance provider. You can also opt to get a quotation for all levels of covers, such as comprehensive taxi insurance, third party fire & theft and third party only policies. In addition to this certain taxi insurance companies also offer short term taxi insurance policies. These can be extremely useful for someone new entering the taxi business and wishing to test the business before committing to annual policy.

As well as taxi car insurance policies you also have the option to get a quote for taxi breakdown assistance cover, personal accident and taxi public liability insurance cover. Most councils require a minimum of £5,000,000 public liability insurance cover if you doing school contracts.

When obtaining quotations for your taxi car ensure that you declare all material facts to your insurance advisor. This can include any penalty points and convictions you may have on your driving licence. All accidents, claims, thefts and incidents must be reported whether at fault or not. Also if you have private car no claims bonus let the advisor know about them as more and more taxi insurance companies now give introductory discounts.

An important thing to remember is that the term ‘taxi insurance’ is normally used on most websites. This term is used to reflect both public and private hire vehicles. At the quote stage you can let the advisor know whether you’re a private hire minicab driver or a public hire taxi driver. Most companies will provide quotations for saloons, MPV’s, black cabs and minibuses for hire and reward use.

Another important point to consider is ‘is cheap the best’. As with any product experience tells us that the cheapest is not always the best policy for your needs. If you are offered an exceptionally cheap taxi insurance policy, find out exactly what the cover entails including the excesses on the policy or any other conditions.

Active Insurance have been delivering cheap taxi insurance solutions for public and private hire drivers for 16 years. Expert knowledge and advise from the taxi insurance specialists.