Licensed Taxis in Guildford

Most of us have heard or seen and read upsetting stories of the public experiences with minicab journeys and when you look into the report in detail most come about in unlicensed taxis and minicabs. Most people say it was cheaper or the only kind of taxi available but at the end of the day it's their safety and well being that they chance. This is the reason you should only use licensed taxis for your safe journey home from Guildford.

The difference between and unlicensed and a licensed or an authorised taxi is your safety. All local authorities or councils are responsible for taxi licensing; they have a department that issues licenses for both the taxi and its driver. Every licensing officer works from the same guidelines so throughout the UK with the exception of a few slight differences all obligatory taxi regulations are pretty uniformed. The first consideration is the taxi itself, the vehicle must be fit for purpose and in good working order . It must have a full MOT certificate and the majority of council will require a separate taxi test quite often this extra test is mandatory every six months. Because of the high mileage a taxi drives in a year often more than 50 thousand miles, this is an extra check on the taxis road worthiness.

This enables Guildford Borough Council the areas licensing authority to make sure taxis working in the Guildford area keep to the required standard above all safe for the driver and its passengers. They also require copies of the insurance policy for every taxi not only to check that it is up to date but also to make sure that it provides sufficient cover not only for the taxi vehicle but also that it has adequate public liability cover so in the event of an accident you are covered. The majority standard car insurance policies do not cover for hire and reward with taxi insurance this is included . So if you take the chance with and un licensed cab or taxi its unlikely the vehicle even if it is insured you or it will not be covered for hire and reward as a taxi and consequently operating outside the law .

When the areas local licensing authority is satisfied the taxi has meet all its requirements it receives a numbered plate this will show the details of the authority the taxi make model and index plate number , some also show the colour. It also displays the maximum allowable number of passengers that the vehicle is licensed to transport and the license expiry. Please do not request a Guildford taxi driver to carry more than the maximum number of passengers as they will risk losing their job and the taxi will not be covered by insurance for that trip .

In addition to the taxi, the driver is also licensed by the local licensing authority. This requires the applying driver to have a full medical examination , along with an enhanced criminal records or police check to ensure the taxi driver is a fit and proper person to be granted a license usually every three years. Nobody with a police criminal record for anything the licensing authority regards as improper conduct will be issued with or will have his license removed should any convictions be found between checks, this additionally protects anyone travelling in licensed guildford taxis.

Before a Guildford taxi driver is granted his or her license they must also take an extra driving test designed for taxi drivers, that's additional to having a full driving license test. In addition an examination on the local area they are going to work in known in the taxi trade as the knowledge. Once the driver has meet all the requirements of the local authority they will be granted a taxi drivers photograph I.D badge with their details on which should be clearly displayed for passengers to inspect.

Anyone requiring to hire a taxi in Guildford should take a moment to check both the taxi vehicle has valid license plate and that the taxi drivers photo id badge is also visible and up to current if in doubt, wait for the next taxi to turn up Today it is easy to use most mobile phones to go on line and pre book or obtain the number of a licensed taxi cab or private hire taxi operator from a good mobile taxi directory, or airport taxi directory, it is much better to be safe rather than sorry so please only use a licensed Guildford Taxis for your next visit to Guildford.