On 11th December 2011 at around 03:15 a private hire driver was attacked in Canute Road, Southampton. At the time of the incident another licensed driver pulled over to check that his colleague was OK and then drove off because he had a fare. There was an article in the Southern Daily Echo on 14th December in relation to this incident, which is also on the Echo's web site.
The Police need to speak to this second driver, as he could be a possible witness. PC 23208 Cat Symonds at Southampton Central is the officer in the case.
Please could the second driver call 0845 045 45 45, come to Southampton Central Police Station and give their details or email the PC Symonds direct at: catherine.symonds@hampshire.pnn.police.uk
Thank you
20/12/2011
All vehicle proprietors are reminded that, from 1st September 2010, their licence conditions require that any licensed vehicle (over two years old) has an MOT test six months after its last licence renewal. The test must be carried out no earlier than seven days before and no later than seven days after the six month anniversary at an MOT test station in the City of Southampton. The last licence renewal reminder made this clear and indicated that no further reminders would be issued.
Failure to obtain an MOT certificate and submit it immediately to the licensing office will result in the suspension of the vehicle licence until the matter has been rectified.
01/03/2011
The Office of Fair Trading has issued guidance on competition law compliance for the taxi and private hire trade in relation to agreements on fare levels. Please follow the links below for further information:
14/11/2008
Consultation meetings are held between the representatives of recognised trade bodies and the city council at six monthly intervals.
updated 15/04/2011
Please see the note of issues arising from a compliance operation carried on out 20th May 2011 by the Licensing Authority. These relate principally to the lawful calculation of hackney carriage fares, especially in relation to "boundary charges", and allegations of plying for hire by private hire drivers.
06/06/2011
The Equalities Act 2010 received Royal Assent on 8th April 2010, but is not yet in force. Sections 160 to 173 of the Act will affect the hackney carriage and private hire trade, although the timing and precise impact of some of the provisions is, as yet, unclear. Consultation by the Government and draft regulations are awaited.
The legislation replicates some of the requirements previously contained in the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. In addition, the legislation gives the Government powers to prescribe a specification for wheelchair accessible taxis and to specify the proportion of licensed hackney carriages in each authority’s area which must be wheelchair accessible.
For further information, please see sections 160 to 173 of the Equalities Act 2010 and pages 113 to 121 of the accompanying Explanatory Notes.
On 15th September 2010 the Department for Transport issued guidance on those parts of the Equalities Act 2010 coming into effect in October 2010. These deal with assistance by drivers to wheelchair users and the carriage of assistance dogs, replicating the existing duties under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
As and when the Licensing Team receives any further information on this subject, it will be published here.
updated 16/09/2010
VOSA and licensing authorities continue to take action against limousine operators who are neither licensed for private hire (eight passenger seats or fewer) or as restricted PSVs (more than eight passenger seats). VOSA acquired new powers to seize unlicensed vehicles in 2009, and used those powers in July 2010 to seize two unlicensed limousines from an operator in Carmarthenshire.
Following the seizure of the unlicensed vehicles, they were found to be unsafe, and after all avenues of appeal had been exhausted, they vehicles were crushed and shredded in March 2011. Please see the VOSA statement about this and a YouTube clip of the vehicles being crushed.
28/03/2011
If, as the driver of a Southampton licensed hackney carriage or private hire vehicle your vehicle receives a penalty charge notice (parking ticket), please do not contact the Licensing Team, as we are unable to intervene. If you wish to challenge or pay the notice, please follow these links:
Please note that you will need both the vehicle's registration number and the penalty charge notice for either of these processes.
11/2011
Please see the ABP Cruise Ship schedule for the provisional list of Southampton cruise ship movements and ABP's live shipping movements page for the latest updates on all shipping movements in the port. Please note that both these pages are subject to frequent updates.
With effect from 1 April 2009, Associated British Ports entered into a five-year agreement with Southampton City Council for the licensing team to issue permits allowing access to ABP's docks land by Southampton licensed hackney carriages.
Access to the docks to ply for hire is restricted to those Southampton hackney carriages with permits issued by the licensing team on behalf of ABP. All payments should be made to Southampton City Council via the licensing office at Southbrook Rise. These arrangements extend to cover Town Quay. If you have any questions about the docks permit system not answered in the document below, please contact the licensing team on 023 8083 3002.
In April 2010, ABP expressed concerns about the standard of dress of some of the licensed drivers working in the docks. All drivers plying for hire in the docks area are reminded of the need to comply with ABP's permit conditions:
"... drivers will wear appropriate, respectable and clean clothing. Appropriate clothing will include:
- Smart casual trousers, including, at times tailored shorts;
- A short or long sleeved shirt, with collar;
- Appropriate and safe footwear.
The following are deemed not to be appropriate:
- Jeans, jogging suits / pants;
- T shirts and reproduction sports shirts and shorts, flip flops and sandals."
The fee increased to £63.00 with effect from 4th January 2011 to take account of the increased rate of VAT
updated 17/01/2012
City Cruise Terminal
Please note that with effect from 17th January 2012, ABP has reversed the flow of traffic on the taxi rank at the City Cruise Terminal, 101 Berth in the Western Docks.
17/01/2012
Town Quay
ABP's Town Quay management implemented changes to the arrangements for hackney carriages and private hire vehicles on Town Quay with effect from 1 July 2009. Please see the following for further information:
10/06/2009
Current and proposed road works in Southampton - a map of current and anticipated road works in the city.
Commercial Road
The Temporary Traffic Order closing the spur road between Havelock Road and Commercial Road and restricting the use of the westbound carriageway in Commercial Road (between Above Bar and Havelock Road) to buses and cycles only was amended with effect from 19th November 2010, so as to permit hackney carriages and private hire vehicles to use the full length of Commercial Road, following intervention by the Licensing Team.
Central Station - South Side
As part of the major improvement works currently taking place at the south side of the the central station it has been necessary to suspend the current taxi rank and temporarily relocate it - please see the plan of the relocated rank. This is to allow the improvements to the forecourt to be completed. The suspension will be in force from 06/02/2012 for a period of 10 weeks. Please note that the rank is for a maximum of 12 taxis - overloading will not be tolerated by Network Rail on whose land the temporary rank is situated.
Southampton City Council's Public Transport team apologises for the short notice and any inconvenience which this may cause, but this is the only solution which ensures that buses and taxis can still serve the station whilst the works are taking place. Buses will not be able to make the turn at the west end of the car park which is why the bus stop location has also been temporarily changed. Notices to drivers were placed around the rank and handed to drivers on 7th February 2012 by the Public Transport team.
updated 08/02/2012
BAA has changed the arrangements for dropping off and picking up passengers from the terminal at Southampton Airport, so that passengers must be dropped off or picked up from the designated area within the short-stay car park. There will be no vehicular access to the area immediately in front of the terminal building.
Please note that use of this area is free for ten minutes, after which charges will apply.
For further information, please see BAA's February 2012 letter and the BAA Southampton Airport web site
updated 08/02/2012
South West Trains has requested that cruise ship passengers are dropped off at the Blechynden Terrace entrance to Southampton Central railway station, because the booking hall and ticket office on the Western Esplanade side of the station are not equipped to deal with a large influx of passengers - letter from SWT.
South West Trains has expressed concerns about over ranking on the Western Esplanade (south) side of Southampton Central railway station, which is causing obstruction to other legitimate users, especially when rail replacement bus services are in operation. A notice to drivers explains the issues
updated 24/01/2011
If your licensed vehicle is fitted with a Pageantry or VerifEye taxi camera, please read this notice and take appropriate action - Taxi camera advice.
If you are considering applying for a new vehicle licence or replacing your existing vehicle, an approved taxi camera will be required in the new vehicle. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs has confirmed that vehicle proprietors may claim back the net cost of camera installations against tax over one year.
Please read the updated Vehicle Application Guidance for further information including alterations to prices and a letter sent to all camera fitters clarifying the Licensing Authority's minimum standards for taxi cameras.
Cameras from Pageantry Electronics and VerifEye Technologies are available and trials of other systems, including X-Tron and Brigade are under way.
Please see Southampton City Council's statement following a recent appeal hearing in the Southampton Magistrates' Court concerning the vehicle licence condition requiring the fitting of taxi cameras.
updated 03/06/2011
The location of taxi ranks in the city provided by Southampton City Council as Highway Authority are shown on the council's Geographic Information System.
Please see the Road Works and Closures section above for details of any temporary alteration to taxi ranks.
updated 07/02/2012
The city council, as licensing authority for hackney carriages, has a legal duty to commission independent surveys of unmet demand for hackney carriages at regular intervals of no more than three years, so long as it wishes to restrict the number of hackney carriage licences issued. Halcrow Group Ltd’s latest report on its survey into unmet demand within Southampton was completed and considered by the Licensing Committee on 11 March 2009.
The draw for prospective applicants to continue to the next stage of applying for new hackney carriage licences was carried out on 30 September 2009 by Councillor Osmond. All those who made valid applications, and did not withdraw them, were notified of their success or otherwise by post. Fees submitted by unsuccessful applicants and those in the 2010 and 2011 batches have been refunded. Despite misleading and incomplete information published elsewhere, the council cannot publish the details of those who have been successful until they have applied for and successfully licensed a new hackney carriage. Information on issued licences appears in the Public Register.
Because the provisions of the Equalities Act 2010 relating to hackney carriages have yet to be implemented by the Department for Transport and the current policy of the licensing authority to continue to restrict the numbers of hackney carriage licences issued, a further survey is being conducted on behalf of the city council in the autumn of 2011.
The outcome of the survey will be reported to the Licensing Committee in due course.
updated 10/2010
Southampton City Council
