What is a hackney carriage?
Hackney Carriage (Taxis) is a public transport vehicle, which is licensed for “ply for hire”. This means it can carry passengers for hire or reward and can be hailed by the passengers. Hackney Carriage (Taxi) can also park on the taxi ranks to await the approaching of general public for hire.
What is a private hire?
Private Hire Vehicle is a vehicle, which operates through an operator, i.e you ring your local private hire company for a cab and it arrives at your pick up point.
Private hire must be pre booked through an operator, under normal circumstances it is usually booked over the phone.
Where are the taxi ranks?
The locations of taxi ranks can be found at the following points:
Bridge Street, (Casa Rank, ST16 2HL)
Broad Street, (Market Rank, ST16 2QB)
Station Road, (Train Station Rank, ST16 2AA)
Stone, (Granville Square, ST15 9AE)
How do I know if the taxi is legal?
Every taxi has front and rear taxi plate attached to the vehicle, which has the details of the vehicle and expiry date showing whether it is valid.
How do I know if the taxi driver is genuine?
Every taxi driver has to wear a taxi badge issued by the Stafford Borough Council, showing the details of the driver along with expiry date.
Can I hail a taxi?
You can hail a taxi, which has illuminated taxi sign on top of the roof and is in white colour.
How do I complain about the driver or a vehicle?
You can complain to the licensing department of Stafford Borough Council at the following address:
Stafford Borough Council
Licensing Department
Civic Centre
Riverside
Stafford
ST16 3AQ
Tel: 01785 619402
Email: ehlicensing@staffordbc.gov.uk
Where can I enquire about lost property?
We don’t have any lost property office however if a driver finds an item, this will be returned to local police station.
How are the taxi fares calculated?
Hackney carriage (Taxi) operates by a taxi meter, which must commence at the beginning of each journey unless pre agreed with the driver for a particular destination. The taxi meter is pre-set by the Stafford Borough Council and the driver cannot change it in any way.
All private hire companies charge based on mileage. Private hire companies can charge any fare for a journey as long as it is agreed by the customer. Private hire company is not regulated by the Stafford Borough Council in terms of taxi fares as the fares are set by the company themselves.