Do you use a taxi or mini-cab in Harlow?

UP until 24 August 2018 Harlow Council is asking for views on whether the town’s private hire vehicles (also known as mini-cabs) should be allowed to display roof signs.

At a special Licensing Committee on 15 March 2018, it was agreed that a consultation would take place to seek views on roof signage on private hire vehicles.

Residents can find out more and have their say by completing a short survey of four questions at roof signage on private hire vehicles consultation

The Council licenses private hire and hackney carriage vehicles. When licensing vehicles, the Council follows statutory and best practice guidance when deciding the policies and any conditions that it may set.

One of the main reasons the Council sets conditions is to safeguard the public when using private hire services. When making decisions about whether or not to permit roof signage on private hire vehicles we need to ensure any signs are clear and do not confuse the public into believing that the vehicle is a taxi (hackney carriage).

The following are the definitions for a hackney carriage and a private hire vehicle:

A ‘Hackney Carriage’ is a ‘Taxi’ and may pick up passengers from the street and ‘rank-up’ for immediate hire by passenger(s). These vehicles may only be driven by a person who holds a Hackney Carriage Driver Licence issued by the Local Authority. Hackney Carriages licensed by Harlow Council are ‘London style vehicles’ (mainly black cabs) and fitted with a roof sign bearing the words ‘taxi’.

A ‘Private Hire Vehicle’ has to be pre-booked through an ‘Operator’ who takes details of the proposed journey from the customer either in person, by telephone or through the internet. A private hire vehicle may not ‘rank-up’ and may not pick up customers from the street. These vehicles may only be driven by a person who holds a Private Hire Driver Licence issued by the Local Authority. In Harlow, Private Hire Vehicles are saloon, hatchback or estate vehicles. I.E. Skoda Octavia, Ford Focus, Ford Galaxy and similar models.