Taxi and private hire vehicles
The Cumberland Council hackney carriage and private hire policy is now available. We are currently in the process of updating the webpages, please refer to the policy for the most up to date information.
We licence both taxis (hackney carriages) and private hire vehicles.
Private hire vehicles
A private hire vehicle:
- must be pre-booked through a licensed operator
- will agree a price when booking the vehicle
- has a green plate on the rear of the vehicle stating that it is a private hire vehicle
- has a white door sign showing 'Private hire' and 'Pre-booking only'
- will not have a roof sign
- can only be driven by a driver licensed by us for private hire
Hackney carriages (taxis)
A hackney carriage, commonly known as a taxi:
- can operate from approved taxi ranks or can be 'flagged down' in the street
- will use a taxi meter for the start of each journey
- has a white plate on the rear of the vehicle stating that it is a hackney carriage
- has a white door sign showing 'Hackney carriage'
- has a roof sign
- can only be driven by a driver licensed by us for hackney carriage
All drivers
All drivers will be wearing a licence badge which shows their:
- picture
- name
- licence number