Ipswich Borough Council is the licensing authority for hackney carriages and private hire vehicles within the Ipswich Borough boundary. Both hackney carriages and private hire vehicles, as well as their drivers and operators are required to be licensed and to meet the relevant legislation and the conditions, which the Council attaches to driver, vehicle and operator licences. At the time of writing there are 121 hackney carriages, of which 16 are wheelchair accessible, and a further 4 have a 'swivel seat' for the front passenger allowing easier access for those with limited mobility. There are 212 private hire vehicles of which 2 are wheelchair accessible. A list of mobile phone numbers for some drivers with wheelchair accessible vehicles is available from the Licensing Office on request (contact details below). Periodic updates of this list should be sought as the details are subject to change.
There are key difference between hackney carriages and private hire vehicles.
Hackney carriages (taxis) operate from taxi ranks and can be hailed in the street. They carry a full width roof sign that can be illuminated at night and clearly states 'TAXI'. Fares (or 'tariffs'), which taxis can charge, are set by the Council and a copy of these must be displayed within the vehicle. The hackney carriage must have a taximeter fitted on which the maximum fare a passenger can be charged is clearly displayed.
Private hire vehicles are not allowed to stand on taxi ranks and it is illegal for them to be hailed or directly booked with the driver in the street, and this may invalidate insurance cover. Instead they must be booked through licensed private hire operators who have offices, where the public can pre-book their journey either in person at that office, or usually by telephone. They must not have roof signs but are permitted to have stickers supplied by their licensed operator. These stickers depict the operator’s logo and telephone number and can be displayed on the front or rear windows or the front door panels of the vehicle. Private hire vehicles may have a meter to show the fare being charged but this is not compulsory. Their licensed operator who accepted the booking and not the Council sets their fares.
The Council deals with all aspects of licensing and enforcement to ensure that the vehicles, drivers and operators in 'the trade' within Ipswich comply with the high standards that are set by the Council and their service reflects well for Ipswich.
In respect of drivers, prior to being licensed all drivers have to pass two tests, one on the legislation and conditions attached to the driver licence, the other on their knowledge of streets and principal locations of Ipswich. They are required to be medically examined to ensure they are fit to drive and carry out their duties in assisting
passengers with luggage etc. The Council also requires 
that all drivers undergo a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check before joining the trade and then every three years thereafter. All drivers are issued with a badge, which bears their photograph, and badge number, this must be worn in a visible location on their clothing. Hackney carriage drivers have a white background to their badge and private hire drivers badges have a yellow background.
The Council expects all drivers to act in a courteous, polite and professional manner towards members of the public. Failure to meet these standards could result in a warning or in more serious incidents the driver’s licence being suspended or revoked.
In respect of licensed vehicles these must comply with a ‘vehicle specification’ to ensure it is of an acceptable type to be considered for licensing. All vehicles are required to undergo an initial and then annual test, which is more stringent than the normal MOT test. The vehicle proprietor is also required to provide proof of the appropriate insurance cover which offers far greater cover than provided to the private motorist. When a vehicle is licensed, the Council issues 2 plates to be displayed on the vehicle, these show the number of the vehicle licence, the make colour and registration mark of the vehicle and the date of expiry of the licence. The plates for hackney carriages have a white background and the plates for private hire vehicles have a yellow background. The larger of these plates must be placed on the outside of the vehicle and close to the rear number plate, the smaller one is mounted on the windscreen close to the vehicle tax disc and can be read from both inside and outside the vehicle. (see above for a sample).
The vehicle is required to be kept in a clean and safe condition, failure to do so could result in the vehicle proprietor receiving a warning, or the licence being suspended or revoked.
The Council’s licensing regime is designed to make travelling within Ipswich safer so please ensure that you only use vehicles, drivers and operators properly licensed by the Council.
The main licensed private hire operators within Ipswich are as follows, but there are others.
Avenue Cars - (01473) 407070
Hawk Express Cabs Ltd - (01473) 222222
Ipswich Cab Company - (01473) 255555
Four One Seven Cab Co -(01473) 417417
If you should have any enquiries, comments or complaints about the Council's taxi licensing policy, or about a taxi driver or vehicle (including any vehicle defects) or if you are aware of any driver or vehicle which is un-licensed then please do not hesitate to contact us, using the details below. These are also the contact details if you are considering becoming a licensed driver and want to get further information on how to apply.
Contact Information
Hackney Carriage & Licensing Service
Ipswich Borough Council
3rd Floor East
Grafton House
15-17 Russell Road
Ipswich
Suffolk
IP1 2DE
Lionel Scott: Transport Officer - Hackney Carriage and PHV
Telephone: (01473) 432065
Email: lionel.scott@ipswich.gov.uk
Dave Root: Enforcement Officer
Telephone: (01473) 432065
Email: dave.root@ipswich.gov.uk
June Armes: Licensing Officer
Telephone: (01473) 432063
Email: june.armes@ipswich.gov.uk
Related Documents
Enforcement Policy