The Difference Between Black Cabs And Private Hire Vehicles

This article was contributed by GoTaxi.

Due to the public transport in London being unpredictable at times, people always need a backup plan and the best option is a taxi, even if it is a bit more expensive.

Taxis offer a service that can get someone from A to B as efficiently as possible in the comfort of a vehicle rather than being crammed onto a hot, busy train. If you are looking at becoming a taxi driver there are two options; you could drive the iconic black cab or work for a private hire company (or set up your own). 

In this blog by GoTaxi we will explain the difference between the two…

The Hackney Carriage is iconic to London streets and has been around since the 17th century where it started as a horse-drawn carriage. In 1625 there were only around 25 available for use which is nothing compared to the thousands on the roads these days. You will see a black cab on almost every road in London and you don’t need to book prior to your journey.

Black cabs have a meter which shows how much the passengers have to pay for their journey. These meters are controlled by the local councils and can often be rather costly. Whereas private taxi companies will tell you the price upon booking the vehicle so you can’t argue or haggle with them when it comes to paying.

With private hire vehicles they only take bookings and speak to drivers through a radio circuit to tell them where their next pick up location is. The private hire vehicles have a booking only policy meaning people cannot just wave them down in the street. If you drive a private hire vehicle then you could be hit with a hefty fine if you are seen picking up passengers from the street, also known as touting business.

All black cabs have a white plate attached to the back of their vehicle which shows the vehicle number whereas private hire vehicles have a yellow sticker, stuck on the front and back of the vehicle proving they are a private hire vehicle.

Black cab drivers are self-employed and can work as many or as little hours as they want and have to go through rigorous tests and training to be able to achieve their license. Private hire drivers can be self-employed and can work the hours they want but a small cut will be taken out of their money for the booking fee but drivers are responsible for their own tax and insurance.

Here are the bullet pointed differences between the black cab and private hire vehicles:

Hackney Carriages:

• London style, Wheelchair accessible cabs
• Customers can flag down the cabs from the street and they can also be pre booked
• The cars have a white taxi licence plate with their taxi number on
• Black cabs charge by their meter which are regulated by their council

Private Hire Vehicles:

• Either white or silver in colour
• Saloon or minibus
• Display a yellow sticker on the front and rear with their private hire licence plate
• Display a yellow sticker with the name of the private hire company that they work for
• Prices are set before the journey by the company
• You can only pre-book these cabs because they do not have insurance to carry you unless you have booked.

Both the Hackney Carriage and the Private Hire Taxi have advantages and disadvantages but at one point in almost everyone’s lives they will use them to get to a destination so either way they are a very helpful form of transport!

For more information visit www.gotaxi.co.uk.

For more information about sponsored articles, email ads(at)benzinga(dot)com. The following article is from one of our external contributors. It does not represent the opinion of Benzinga and has not been edited. Find out more about Sponsored Posts.