Making private hire services more accessible to disabled people

A good practice guide for Private Hire Vehicle operators and drivers

Identifying the vehicle and driver

Identifying the vehicle

A PHV must be easily and visibly identifiable as a PHV, as distinct from an ordinary saloon car. There is no single way in which this might be done, and there are some legal restrictions on PHVs, precluding the use of some words, such as 'Taxi'. However, as a minimum, the name of the company should be clearly and prominently displayed on both sides of the car, and it would also be an advantage for cars to bear a distinctive livery. The licensing authority's logo or coat of arms would also give vehicles added credibility, and increase customers' confidence. The licence plate carried by PHVs in England, Scotland and Wales should also be displayed in a prominent position.

Identifying the driver

It is very important that a driver coming to collect a client should have a means of identification, so that he or she not only becomes immediately identifiable as a PHV company driver, but also has some way of naming the client that is to be collected. When calling at a house, or speaking through an intercom, this can be done by the driver announcing his or her arrival, quoting his or her name, the name of the company and the name of the client.

Visual confirmation can be achieved using a product called 'Briteboard' - this consists of a wipe-clean, acrylic panel, slightly larger than an A4 sheet of paper, that can be hand-held or fixed in the vehicle's window (see Figure 2). Whilst one section of the panel can show 'Private Hire' and/or the company's logo, a fluorescent marker pen, in a variety of colours, can be used to write the name of the client on the section below. A really important feature of this messaging system is that it illuminates, using a rechargeable power pack that is integrated into the board, so that the client's name can be seen clearly at night, from outside of the vehicle. Whilst this high level of clarity is of benefit to all passengers, it is particularly helpful to people who are partially sighted. Use of such a device projects an image of professionalism and attention to detail that can help to engender confidence in the travelling public.

Figure 2: 'Briteboard', a means of identifying a PHV driver

Published: 03 December 2003

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