Stay Safe

(Date of issue: Friday, 11 December 2008)

Party-goers are being warned to be careful when going home from a night out and to be cab- conscious.

Carlisle City Council is urging festive revellers to only use hackney carriages and private hire vehicles, which are licensed by the council. A photo opportunity has been arranged with Barry Sharrock, Carlisle City Council Licensing Officer, a Private Hire vehicle from AW Travel and a Taxi from Radio Taxis, at the taxi rank outside Carlisle Cathedral, at 10.30am on Monday 14 December, to show examples of the type of vehicles the council is recommending members of the public use during the festive period, in addition to the traditional black cab.

The City Council’ s top tips for being cab-conscious are: only use a licensed taxi; keep a taxi telephone number handy; pre-book your taxi wherever possible; always have your fare ready to pay the driver; don’t get in a taxi if you have concerns about its authenticity.

Licensed taxis in Carlisle are either of the traditional London cab design, wheelchair adapted people carriers or white saloon type vehicles, all of which have a licence plate on the rear and a roof light. They can be hailed from the street or at a rank and have metered fares.

Private Hire vehicles have a licence plate on the rear and also signage on the doors saying “Pre Booking Only”. They can be pre-booked by phone or from the office of one of the well known local companies to take you on your journey, safe in the knowledge that both the driver and the vehicle are regularly checked by the Council. Private Hire vehicles cannot use the taxi ranks or be hailed in the street.

All licensed vehicles have a licence plate on the back of the vehicle with the vehicle licence number and the number of people they are licensed to carry. The driver should also be displaying a badge to prove they are licensed.

Carlisle City Council is urging the public to take care when hiring “taxis” on the street, particularly over the festive season. Councillor David Morton, Chairman of the Council’s Regulatory Panel said,

“Although Carlisle hasn’t traditionally had a problem with illegal taxis it is on the increase in some parts of the Country and it pays to be vigilant. I would encourage people to only use licensed taxis and private hire vehicles this Christmas. These are vehicles that have been registered with us. They are regularly checked for safety and the drivers are also vetted with a CRB check.”

If you have any doubts about either the driver or the vehicle don’t get in and if you have any reason to complain, record either the driver’s identity badge number or the vehicle registration or licence plate number and report it to the Council using the Customer Contact Centre number 01228 817200.