Taxi Licensing - Passenger information

Hackney Carriage Vehicles (or Taxis)

A hackney carriage must be driven by a driver who holds a hackney carriage driver's licence.

Hackney carriage vehicles can be found at the ranks around the St Albans district and they can be hailed in the street. You can also pre-book them.

These vehicles have a roof light with the word TAXI on them. They have a yellow plate affixed to the rear and a smaller version affixed to the windscreen which carry details of the expiry date, licence number and vehicle registration. They also have livery on their vehicle which consists of St Albans Crests and yellow stripes.

The fare for hackney carriages is set by the council. If a journey starts and ends in the district, the driver cannot charge more than the meter rate.

If a journey ends outside of the district, the meter does not need to be used. The fare however should be agreed upon, by the driver and passenger, before the journey starts.

You can view the Hackney Carriage Fare Chart here.

Private hire vehicles (or 'minicabs')

Private hire vehicles (or minicabs) are public transport vehicles. However, a private hire vehicle cannot ply for hire or stand in a rank. It must be pre-booked with a private hire operator e.g. through the operator usually by telephone or app. They cannot be flagged down in the street or approach you for hire.

Private hire vehicle can only be booked through firms licensed by St Albans Council. These firms are called Operators;

Private Hire Operator List

The fares for a private hire vehicles are set by their operators. Prices will vary between operators. The fare is a private contract between the operator and the passenger.

Private hire vehicles have a green plate affixed to the rear and a smaller version affixed to the windscreen which carry details of the expiry date, licence number and vehicle registration. These vehicles are not insured to ply for hire.

Hackney Carriage Vehicles

All drivers must have their licence/badge – if you can’t see it just ask the driver to view it.

Hackney Carriages can be hired immediately – you can get one at a rank or hail one in the street. You can also pre book.

They must display a yellow licence plate on the rear of the vehicle which gives the licence and registration number. 

Hackney Carriages are fitted with meters set to fares scales set by the council.

For journeys in the district the taxi meter must be on at all times, and the driver must charge what is on the meter.

Private Hire Vehicles

Private Hire vehicles are licensed only to collect passengers who have pre-booked with a licensed operator.

They must display a green licence plate on the rear of the vehicle which gives the licence and registration number. Some Private Hires hold a plate exemption – these vehicles will not be used for local work.

All drivers must have their licence/badge – if you can’t see it just ask the driver to view it.

Are not subject to fares scales set by the council, although many of the Private Hire vehicles in St Albans have meters set to the same scale. It is always advisable to agree your fare, or how the fare will be determined at the point of booking

From time to time, the conduct of a taxi driver, private hire driver or private hire operator may fall below the high standards we expect of our licensees.

If you would like us to investigate a complaint about an incident involving a driver, vehicle or operator, please send us an email to taxilicensing@stalbans.gov.uk with the following details:

• name
• contact details
• details of vehicle (plate number, company, colour, badge number)
• the date and approximate time you were in the taxi;
• the name of the taxi firm you used;
• whether the taxi was booked or flagged down;
• an account of the incident that happened
• any additional information (eg a photo)

Complaints will be investigated by a licensing enforcement officer, following the principles set out in our licensing enforcement policy, and if substantiated there are a number of different penalties available, ranging from informal warnings to revocation of licences. Following particularly serious complaints where a criminal offence has been committed, we may decide to prosecute an individual, and in these circumstances we may ask complainants to attend court as a witness.

Unfortunately, we cannot open an investigation in response to a verbal complaint.

We take all incidents seriously. All complaints and reports to St Albans Council or the Police will be fully investigated and appropriate action will be taken.

Reporting a sexual offence

Thousands of taxi and minicab journeys are taken every day, the majority without incident. We take passenger safety extremely seriously. If you experience any behaviour of a sexual nature from a minicab or taxi driver, including if they comment on your appearance or look at you in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable, please report it. It will be taken seriously and investigated.

All crimes should be reported to the Police so that they can investigate. You can report sexual behaviour offences (e.g. groping, indecent acts, flashing) to the Police by calling 101, or by reporting it online https://www.herts.police.uk/report/

In case of an emergency, dial 999.

If a driver makes you feel uncomfortable but you think their behaviour is not a crime (e.g. by making inappropriate comments or leering at you), we would still like to know about it. You can report this type of inappropriate driver behaviour to St Albans Council by calling 01727 819264 or by emailing us at taxilicensing@stalbans.gov.uk

Please visit the Public Register Of Licences And Registrations

If you are unable to find the information you are looking for on the public register please send your request to taxilicensing@stalbans.gov.uk

Passengers with assistance dogs

Every licensed taxi and private hire vehicle is required to carry assistance dogs with their owner, and it is a criminal offence for a driver to refuse to do so. It is also an offence for a private hire operator to refuse to take a booking because it involves carrying an assistance dog, or for drivers or operators to charge a higher fare for carrying an assistance dog.

This duty applies to assistance dogs trained by charities affiliated to Assistance Dogs UK, or other similar UK or overseas organisations. It also applies to dogs that have been trained by their owners to carry out this role.

Complaints about drivers or operators refusing to carry assistance dogs can be reported to the licensing team by sending an email to licensing@stalbans.gov.uk 

A small number of taxi drivers may hold exemption certificates. These exempt them from the legal duties due to a medical condition. Any such drivers must display an official notice, issued by us, advising of this

Passengers in wheelchairs

We license a number of vehicles that are wheelchair accessible.

We have designated a number of licensed taxis and private hire vehicles under section 167 of the Equality Act 2010, and details of these vehicles can be found in the list below.

This list will be updated from time to time, so please check this page regularly for the latest version.

The list of designated vehicles can be viewed here.

It is a criminal offence for the driver of a designated taxi to refuse to carry a passenger in a wheelchair, or assist them in entering or exiting the taxi and loading any luggage they may have. Complaints about drivers failing to carry out these duties can be reported to taxilicensing@stalbans.gov.uk.

A small number of drivers may hold exemption certificates. These exempt them from the legal duties due to a medical or physical condition. Any such drivers must display an official notice, issued by us, advising of this.

Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Disabled Persons) Act 2022

The Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Disabled Persons) Act 2022 ("The 2022 Act") came into effect in England on 28th June 2022. It amends the Equality Act 2010 to introduce new, and amend existing, duties for local authorities and hackney carriage and private hire vehicle drivers and operators alike.

The 2022 Act aims to ensure that disabled people can use hackney carriage and private hire vehicle services with confidence that they will not be discriminated against, and local authorities have an important role to play in ensuring the requirements are implemented effectively.

New requirements for drivers and operators

The existing legislation requires drivers of designated wheelchair accessible vehicles to accept the carriage of wheelchair users, provide them with reasonable mobility assistance, and refrain from charging them more than other passengers.

All hackney carriage and private hire drivers and private hire operators - regardless of whether the vehicle is wheelchair accessible - will be subject to duties under the Equality Act.

Hackney carriage and private hire drivers will be required to:

• Accept the carriage of any disabled person, provide them with reasonable mobility assistance, and carry their mobility aids, all without charging any more than they would for a non-disabled passenger
• Provide any disabled passenger who requests it with assistance to identify the vehicle, at no extra charge

Private Hire operators will be required to:

• Accept bookings for or on behalf of any disabled person, if they have a suitable vehicle available
• Anyone found not be adhering to the legislation may face prosecution and/or be referred to the licensing sub-committee.  As I am sure you are aware, you could potentially lose your licence or have it suspended.

The updated guidance can be found by following this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/access-to-taxis-and-private-hire-vehicles-for-disabled-users

Should you have any questions please email taxilicensing@stalbans.gov.uk

List of Drivers of Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles available for Pre Booked work 

• CONTACT LIST FOR DRIVERS OF WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE VEHICLES JUNE 2023 ( pdf - 6.19 KB )
• List of Wheelchair Accessible Taxis Designated for the purposes of s165 Equality Act 2010 29-01-24 ( pdf - 450.12 KB )

If you have lost an item in a taxi, please send us an email to taxilicensing@stalbans.gov.uk with the following details

• your name and address;
• your contact telephone number;
• the date and approximate time you were in the taxi;
• the name of the taxi firm you used;
• whether the taxi was booked or flagged down;
• details of vehicle (plate number, company, colour, badge number)
• a detailed description of all the items missing.

Private Hire Operators do not deal with missing property and it is the responsibility of every driver to check their vehicle at the end of their shift.

Please note: Drivers must bring all lost property to reception at our offices in St Peters Street, St Albans.

An officer will contact you if your property is handed into the council. We will then arrange for you to come in to collect the items and sign to say you have collected your property. You will need to show identification before we hand over your property.

Please note: Drivers should check their vehicles at the end of each journey however it is possible other customers may have found your missing property and kept it without the knowledge of the driver. Unfortunately, this is extremely hard to prove and therefore there is no guarantee that your items will be found and returned to you.

The Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy was adopted by the Licensing & Regulatory Committee on 26th January 2021. This came into effect the day after, on 27th January 2021.

Our Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy brings all our existing guidelines, standards, licensee requirements and information together in one place, as well as updating our approach as a result of changes to national guidance; the DFT Statutory Taxi & Private Hire Vehicle Standards.

The policy can be viewed here.

• Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy ( pdf - 1.57 MB )

Our Taxi Licensing Policy has been reviewed and an updated, this update introduces mandatory contactless/card payments in Taxis in SADC.

Please see below for the decision by the Strategic Director for Community Place & Delivery, for mandatory electronic payments:

• Card Payments - Director Report ( pdf - 245.40 KB )
• Card Payments - Record of Decision ( msword - 98.50 KB )