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New signs for private hire cars
Torridge District Council is introducing compulsory new signs for the district's fleet of licensed private hire cars to improve public safety.
Until now private hire vehicles have only been required to display the standard licence plate on the rear of the vehicle, together with a smaller plate inside. The new oval-shaped signs will be fixed to the front doors of the vehicles and display the words "Private hire vehicle - advance bookings only." Smaller signs with the same wording will also be displayed in both front and rear windscreens.
Tony Nicholls, the council's licensing manager, said: "The council has introduced the new signs for a number of reasons. The main purpose of the signs is to protect the public by making private hire vehicles more readily identifiable. This will make it much harder for rogue drivers to masquerade as licensed hire cars. If a vehicle does not display the signs or a licence plate, it means it is not licensed by the council and people should not use it."
The council hopes the new signs will also help to clarify the distinction between taxis and private hire cars. Private hire cars can only accept fares which have been booked in advance of the hiring. Taxi drivers, by contrast, can accept fares from a taxi rank or by being hailed in the street.
Operators had until Friday 2nd March to fit the new signs to their vehicles.
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