There are two types of licensed vehicle that can be hired by the public, these are Hackney Carriages and Private Hire Vehicles such as Saloons, Hatchbacks and People Carriers.
Hackney Carriages
Hackney Carriages, or Taxis;
- Can be hired immediately - you can get one at a rank or hail one in the street - or by pre-booking.
- Provide wheelchair accessibility - Download the list of licensed wheelchair accessible vehicles
- Must display a white licence plate on the rear of the vehicle which gives the licence and registration numbers, type of vehicle and licence expiry date.
- A small repeater plate is displayed inside the vehicle, either on the partition or on the vehicle windscreen.
- The Hackney Carriages licensed by us are the same style as London Black Cabs.
- Can stand on taxi ranks around Oxford.
- Can be hailed in the street.
- Can be booked by telephone.
- Must have a meter which has a maximum fare set by us, which must be switched on for journeys within the city boundary.
- Must display a fare card.
If a Hackney Carriage Vehicle is on a Taxi Rank then it is available for hire, and the driver is duty bound to take your fare, within the City boundary, and cannot refuse to carry you unless he/she has a reasonable excuse.
Private Hire vehicles
Private Hire vehicles (PHVs, also called minicabs);
- are licensed only to carry passengers who have pre-booked with a licensed operator.
- Must display a yellow licence plate on the rear of the vehicle which gives the licence and registration numbers, type of vehicle and licence expiry date.
- Are not subject to fare scales set by the Council, although many of the Private Hire vehicles in Oxford City have meters set at the same scale. It is always advisable to agree your fare, or how the fare will be determined at the point of booking with the Operator.
- Have the Operators details on the rear doors for easy identification.
Both vehicles and their drivers must be licensed to ensure they meet legal requirements. In the case of PHVs, the operator (who arranges the hiring) must also be licensed. Both taxis and PHVs have a maximum of eight passenger seats.
