Almost 50 percent of licensed taxi and private hire vehicles are not fit for the carriage of passengers in Dumfries.

The Dumfries councillors were shocked by this news and are extremely disturbed that taxi insurance customers are being placed under risk by vehicles that are faulty and not fit to carry passengers.

Figures release by the Police at a local Committee meeting highlighted that almost half of the vehicles stopped had failed road safety inspections to some extents. This included both the public hire taxis and private hire minicab cars.

The taxi vehicles that had failed the checks were taken off the road and were informed to have the repairs carried out before using them again. The checks were performed by the police on 21st August 2009 to ensure that the taxi vehicles in Dumfries are fir and proper for their use.

One of the local councillors asked for sterner measures to be introduced after hearing the shocking figures. He highlighted that this was not acceptable that unfit vehicles were being used to ferry customers and the committee has to review their procedures so that taxi customers can feel safe using these vehicle.

According to one councillor the whole region should be concerned and that a campaign should be undertaken to target taxi vehicles and operators to assess their suitability as well as if the vehicle was suitable and without any defects.

The taxi licensing committee will review and advise how often the private hire and taxi vehicles need to be inspected at their approved testing stations.
Active Insurance is a specialist Hire and Reward Insurance brokers and provide cheap taxi insurance policies to customers throughout Great Britain.

Most drivers know that the cost of a taxi insurance policy is a lot more that a private car insurance. So before taking out a new mortgage you want to make sure that you get the best possible deal for your hire and reward policy. Even though the number of insurers offering taxi insurance policies has increased over the last few years, the cost of a taxi insurance policy does not seem to have come down. In some areas the increase has been over 50% with some insurers even refusing to provide a quotation. The main reason for the increase has been due the accidents with personal injury claims. The claims culture imported from the USA has driven up the cost of not only taxi insurance policies but almost most types of motor insurance is affected in some ways. Some of these claims are genuine and some unfortunately are not as highlighted in the press recently.

Having said that, there are still many deals to be found on cheap taxi insurance, especially if you know where to find them. This will obviously involve some work for you by shopping around and filling tedious forms. But then in the long run it will pay off by you obtaining a great deal on your taxi insurance. With so many brokers and taxi insurance companies on the market all plying for your business and offering various deals you really are spoilt for choice. There new internet portals opening where you fill in one form and the quotation is submitted to a panel of taxi insurance brokers on your behalf. How easy is that! Each broker will call you back with a quotation outlining what their policy covers and more importantly what it doesn’t cover. A cheap taxi insurance is not necessary always the best policy. Find out exactly what you are being covered for. Also go through the risk questionnaire with the advisor to make sure that all the details are correct. Otherwise it could cost you a lot more if there are any errors or omissions.

To drive a vehicle for hire and reward purposes you do have to have a taxi insurance policy. Any taxi car that is used on a public highway has to have a motor insurance policy with a minimum of third party cover. It is compulsory! Failure to have the correct insurance in place land you in a lot of trouble with penalty points, fines and even your taxi licence being revoked by the licensing authority. With most taxi insurers know plying for your business on the internet, this has made it a lot easier for you to find a great deal so take full advantage of this opportunity.

Obtain a taxi insurance quote from one company first. Approach a second company and tell them the quote you have been already offered. This will save you both time and money. If they think they can beat your quote they will try to do so. If they think they will not be able to match or beat your quote, most likely they will tell you this from the outset saving you time answering the same questions again.

Do your homework, shop around and you are most certainly able to find a highly competitive deal on your taxi insurance requirements. Many insurers have room for negotiations in the current climate. As the saying goes, ‘persevere and you shall succeed’.
Active Insurance providing free online taxi insurance quotes. We compare taxi insurance quote from the leading insurers on your behalf.

A licensed taxi insurance driver has been stripped of his taxi badge after being suspended for a period of 12 months by North West Leicestershire District licensing committee. This was after the hackney carriage driver had failed to stop after an accident.

A taxi driver from Burton has had his licence suspended for 12 months for failing to stop at the scene of an accident.

The public hire driver was involved in an accident in his taxi vehicle with a motorbike in Ashby-de-la-zouch last year. This information was bought to the attention of the N.W. Leicestershire District Councils taxi and private hire sub-committee after the taxi driver was given eight points on his driving licence.

The motorbike driver was left with multiple injuries to his legs including a dislocated elbow after the collision with the taxi driver. The hackney carriage taxi driver failed to stop at the scene of the accident and drove off leaving an injured motorcyclist on the public road in Ashby.

The taxi driver admitted his guilt when he appeared before the magistrates at Leicester Magistrates Court and as a result was charged with careless driving and also failing to stop at the accident scene in Ashby.

The taxi driver received eight penalty points in his driving licence and also was fined £300 by the court.

This matter was passed to the sub-committee by the taxi licensing offers, raising the question as to the fitness and proper conduct of the taxi driver to drive a public hire vehicle due to the convictions obtained.

The committee members decided to suspend the taxi driver’s hackney carriage licence with immediate effect for a period of one year after a meeting that lasted for over 2 hours.

The councillors stated that this type of behaviour is not acceptable of any licensed taxi driver and as such a decision was reached to suspend the hackney carriage driver for 1 year.

A council spokesperson said that any taxi drivers not meeting or obeying the conditions of their taxi licenses will be clamped down and appropriate action will be taken against them.

On this occasion the seriousness of the case left the committee no option but to suspend the taxi driver.

Active Insurance are UK’s leading taxi insurance brokers.

Hull’s taxi licensing department has stated that a mobile taxi booking system operated by a local private hire firm is legal. The mobile private hire booking system had caused a lot of controversy and anger with Hull’s black cab taxi drivers.

As previously reported, a local private hire firm had employed a ‘mobile’ booker at various locations within the City to take pre-booked journeys for customers. A handheld device is used to send the private hire booking to the base and the customer is issued with a receipt for their journey.

This method of taxi booking has caused anger and resentment within the Hackney Carriage trade. A licensed public hire driver is able to pick up customers without prior bookings as per the conditions of their taxi licenses. The mobile taxi booking system, the first of its kind in Hull is seen as a threat to the livelihood and earnings by the public hire drivers.

Because the mobile system does not solicit for fares, Hull’s licensing committee has deemed the venture perfectly legal, following an investigation after receiving a complaint.

After the investigations, the private hire firm received a letter from the Council stating that the mobile taxi booking system does not contravene any licensing laws and other related legislations.

Also this scheme ensured that the members of the public were being transported in vehicles that that were licensed and had the correct private hire insurance.

Active, has been providing low cost private hire and taxi insurance to licensed drivers since 1993. For a competitive quotation please visit our website at Active Insurance.

Usually the price for taxi insurance is a lot more than that of a private car insurance policy. Taxis are perceived to be a higher risk at being involved in an accident and therefore obtaining cheap taxi insurance policy is a challenge. When you get your taxi renewal quotation from your existing insurer it is best to spend some time to shop around for a cheaper taxi car insurance policy.

To use your car for hire and reward purposes you must have the correct legal cover in force. A taxi insurance policy will protect you and your passengers for against legal liabilities in the unfortunate event of an accident occurring. Not all taxi insurance companies offer the same level of cover so it is wise to find out what the cover entails. For example do you get legal expenses policy, taxi breakdown assistance and a replacement car in the event of an accident?

How to get cheap taxi insurance?

Taxi insurance falls under two main categories:

Public Hire – Customers are able to hail this type of cab on the street. These vehicles are usually known as hackney carriages or black cabs.

Private Hire – Customers have to pre-book the cabs and a journey is pre-arranged.

An important point to remember is that new taxi schemes are always emerging and shopping around for new quotes is an excellent way of obtaining cheap taxi insurance policy. By calling specialists taxi insurance brokers is probably your best chance of finding a cheaper quote as these companies will usually have the best deals.

If you have 3 or more taxi cars it is worth considering a taxi fleet insurance policy. Not only can this save you money but it will also ease the administration with only a single renewal date. Most taxi fleet policies are flexible and allow a mixture of vehicles such as minicabs and black cabs.

Active Insurance the UK based taxi insurance brokers provide highly competitive quotes on minicab insurance and taxi insurance with instant cover available.