Driving Tips

As technology and innovation continue to drive the taxi industry forward, drivers and fleet owners need to make sure they have the right taxi insurance in place for the work they do.

The traditional industry model was black cabs or Hackney carriages, which required public hire insurance, and private hire vehicles or minicabs, which needed private hire insurance.

Taxi drivers hear all sorts of stories about savings and pitfalls when purchasing Taxi Insurance and there’s varying degrees of truth behind them.

As with anyone who earns their living on the road, having the right insurance is not only vital to protect their business, it is also a legal requirement.

Drivers who hit other vehicles and flee without reporting the damage cause huge inconvenience and expense to their innocent victims, especially if they are taxi drivers who rely on their cars to earn a living.

Damage to any vehicle is expensive to repair and being off the road causes huge disruption because it can affect livelihoods and lead to increased premiums if a claim is made.

When we think of taxis, the first thing that comes to mind is usually a black cab or private hire vehicle. But what passes as a standard taxi varies depending where you are in the world.

We have recently seen some interesting articles which got us wondering what’s the wackiest taxi you’ve ever seen?

We all know that using a mobile phone while driving a taxi is illegal, but what about eating a snack, wearing Ugg boots, or having fluffy dice hanging from the mirror?

Will sipping tea or coffee, or driving at night with the interior light on earn a taxi driver points on their licence?

Taxi drivers earn their living on the road and the fear of losing their job can take a huge toll on their mental health.

Driving a black cab or private hire vehicle is still a male-dominated industry in which there remains a stigma about asking for help or showing anything perceived as weakness.

Running a private hire taxi is expensive but rewarding, so here are three key things that will reduce costs and help keep drivers enjoying life on the road.

The past 12 months have seen the cost of motoring soar for everyone from commuters and shoppers to taxi and lorry drivers.

Taxi drivers take great pride in keeping their cars clean and tidy so they look their best for the next fare.

But dealing with passengers in all weathers, as well as their shopping and luggage, plus heavy traffic and dirty roads, means drivers have to work even harder to keep their cabs and private hire vehicles looking spotless.

When passengers get into a cab, they expect it to be safe, comfortable and clean – and taxi drivers have a long-standing reputation for keeping their cars spotless.

This isn’t easy, especially with the British weather and having dozens of people in and out of their cabs each day.

Taxi drivers earn their living on the roads and their vehicles must be ready for anything, including the freezing temperatures we are currently experiencing with what has been called the Troll of Trondheim.

Taxis are the tools of their driver’s trade and need to be maintained to the highest standards.

One of England’s oldest taxi businesses is steering its way towards an all-electric fleet of taxis.

Whiteside Taxis in St Annes on Sea started with Handsome Cabs in 1880 and has seen many changes in the years that followed. But, as with the transition from Handsome Cabs to the Hackney and private-hire taxis we are familiar with today, it did not happen overnight.

Technology is constantly improving and there are now more high-tech ways to connect taxi drivers with passengers.

As well as ride-hailing apps such as Uber and, more recently, Bolt, many UK taxi businesses have introduced their own technology to make it easier for passengers to book and pay for journeys.