A decision has been made to place signs on private hire taxis, explaining that they cannot be hailed unless they are booked in advance.

Chairman of the Hackney Carriage Association, Mathab Khan has stated ‘We have a problem with private hire cars picking up people without pre-booking in Cardiff — which has been going on for many years and we want to clamp down on them’.

Naturally, private hire firms are less than happy about the proposed change. The director of Dragon Taxis has claimed that the sings will takeaway the discreetness of a private hire vehicle — some passengers are unlikely to use a vehicle with a sign on its door if they want to make an impression.

Discussions are currently taking place as to what the signs should say.

Quotiva has helped thousands of taxi drivers find cover for their vehicles, we can help with both public and private hire insurance.

Don Pratt, who’d been working in the hire and reward industry for almost 30 years received a tip of £250,000 from Mary Watson — no need to worry about the private hire insurance any more!

Not only did Pratt receive the sum mentioned, but also her whole estate, which included a small house. Sadly the tip was in fact left in Ms Watson’s will.

Pratt who is 65 has decided that using the money left to him, he is to retire and travel around the British Isles with his wife, Gill.

Although he will miss taxi driving and is saddened by the death or Ms Watson, whom he ferried for 20 years, he is pleased that her last act of generosity has helped him and his wife so much.

The Evening Times reports that one of the firms in question was refused an operating licence after police informed the council that a gangland figure was profiting from the firm.

Four other private hire firms were denied a permit to operate, with three of the firms being shut-down immediately.

The concept of licencing the firms came to being last year after the Scottish Government passed a bill requiring operating firms to be regulated. The law has been a godsend for police who have struggled to bring to justice certain criminal elements within the taxi industry.

Anyway, whilst it may be doom and gloom for dodgy taxi firms in Glasgow, some UK private hire firms are doing well for themselves.

Whilst the airlines are less than pleased about last months ongoing volcanic eruption and its troublesome ash cloud, a Belfast taxi driver struck the jack pot after a group of business men asked him to give them a ride to London. It’s likely the fare more than helped a little towards the driver’s private hire insurance.

An article in the Swindon Advertiser, states that some cab drivers believe the state of the industry may even be a risk to passenger’s lives. As drivers work twice as many hours to make up for a lack of customers (a result of the the overcrowding)  it’s understandable that their senses become softened and they may begin to feel tired on the job.

Drivers believe that the deregulation of private hire taxis in 2006 is the cause of the large increase in private hire vehicles on the road.

However, a report from the Office of Fair Trading indicates that restricting the number of cabs on the road only encouraged illegal taxis to fill the gap, whilst reducing the quality of service that the public receives.

In the north of England, private hire cabs are also facing trouble. A spot check on 28 private taxis in Bolton, led to more than half of the vehicles having their licence revoked, for various reasons — some licence related and some due to vehicle defects.

If you drive a private hire taxi, the Quotiva Network can help you find private hire insurance quotes, no matter where you’re based.