T NEW YEAR: BUT WHAT NEXT?


• Some allow magnets • Some demand signage on bonnets and across rear windows covering eye level brake lights • Some also insist on front windows


This topic was a section in the most recent DfT Best Practice Guidance consultation which ended on 20 June and to which we are still eagerly awaiting a response.


DIFFERENT OPTIONS London act compared to acts outside London


There are those who say why not “follow the same as TfL, they only have a roundel in their window.” Whilst they may be in both front and rear windows, the rear window roundel often cannot be seen.


However, the acts inside London and outside of London are completely different. TfL was not regulated for private hire until 1998, and it still remains the case that a private hire is only a PHV whilst on duty, unlike elsewhere in the UK. Plus, larger London companies, such as Addison Lee, actually have company signage on their vehicles.


New tech means signage is no longer needed


As some passengers now receive a message with the driver’s details and vehicle registration when they make a booking by phone or via an app, vehicle signage is no longer needed. This may be true for bookings with larger operators which utilise dispatch systems and SMS messaging, but excludes smaller firms and one-man bands, and others not using such systems.


Furthermore, it’s only valid for passengers who: • have booked the trip using their own mobile • have a good signal strength on their phone • haven’t lost/had phone stolen after booking • haven’t had a flat battery on phone after booking


Plus this argument completely excludes a large number of the older generation who • May not be used to using technology • Have reduced vision • Turn their mobile on to make a call and then turn it off


Target practice – Ready, Aim, MISSILES AWAY!


There is evidence that signage plastered all over a vehicle makes it a target for bored youngsters who


PHTM FEBRUARY 2023


stand on bridges waiting to enthusiastically throw bricks and stones at it as some sort of form of entertainment.


But it is not just youngsters - we have had literally hundreds of reports of licensed vehicles badly damaged and drivers fearing for the lives purely because their signage made them an easy target.


So, this is not only a very serious issue on the basis of criminal damage and associated repair costs, but also on the grounds of public safety as unfortunately drivers and passengers have been injured during these malicious and unprovoked attacks.


Signage a necessity


It is understood and accepted that there must be a visible indicator on a licensed vehicle to assist both passengers and licensing officers to identify that the vehicle is not only correctly licensed, but that it has also been sent by the correct company.


There is no doubt that having no signage at all is a huge public safety issue: • It creates the risk of an unlicensed or incorrectly licensed vehicle, or a vehicle from a completely unrelated company picking people up


• It results in booked drivers and vehicles having wasted trips for no shows, as their booked passengers have already been collected


Whilst the NPHTA believes signage is still an important necessity, the level of signage needs to be reduced, relevant, and fit for purpose.


There MUST be another way!


As a compromise the NPHTA is proposing the following standardised solution:


• In addition to external licence plates, to have an internally mounted sign showing the company logo and phone number of the firm, positioned in the lower part of the windscreen where the old tax disc used to be


Similar to the TfL idea, this would mean that the passenger would clearly see the signage at the kerbside; enabling them to verify the correct vehicle has arrived and / or at least a vehicle from the correct company (as occasionally if a vehicle breaks down or is delayed an alternative vehicle is sent) before they get in the vehicle.


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