London Banter - View Single Post

[email protected] · February 20th 10, 08:16 PM posted to uk.transport.london

In article ,
(Paul Terry) wrote:

*Subject:* Taxi insurance for multiple people?
*From:* Paul Terry
*Date:* Sat, 20 Feb 2010 17:31:54 +0000

In message , Roland Perry
writes

In message , at 14:52:11 on
Sat, 20 Feb 2010, Paul Terry remarked:

Nothing to do with insurance - he was more likely referring to
his private hire licence. He'd be in serious trouble if he
picked-up anyone who had not been pre-booked. In the case in
point, where only one passenger had been booked, it would be
necessary to get back to the operator and have the booking
changed to two people.

I've never heard of that before. Is it a London thing?

Yes - London has its own act for private hire vehicles ("The
Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998"). To quote TfL's guidance
for drivers and operators:

"PHV drivers who pick up passengers that have not been booked
through their PHV operators are plying for hire and are therefore
committing the offence of touting for which they may be prosecuted
and their PHV driver_s licence suspended or revoked."

I think that the driver in the case concerned was applying the real
letter of the law in order to extract a bit more cash for the fare,
since he wasn't actually touting. But I suspect he was technically
correct because the passenger who made the booking had presumably
only booked for one person.

That's no more plying for hire or touting in London as outside. The law is
the same in effect. I am assuming that the arrangement to share was made
by the person who made the booking before communicating with the driver.

The fact that the extra passenger wasn't going to the same destination
would probably justify a different fare, though, if it involved a detour,
for example.

--
Colin Rosenstiel