Taxi trade representatives held a long awaited and positive meeting with Southampton Council Licensing Officers and Police this week.

Some of the subjects on the agenda were as follows :-

New initiatives planned for when the ships start to come into Southampton.

Definite no U-Turns in London Road with hopefully a weight limit - further discussions to be held with The Highways Department on this matter.

The Southampton Hackney Association's zero tolerance campaign against the illegal touting for work from some private hire's has now been placed as the number one priority with support from Southampton City Council and the police.

The CRB check (now known as DBS) was also discussed - You have to be in this country for five years before you can obtain a licence to become a taxi driver, necessary certificates are also sometimes needed from the Embassy where an individual has come from.

The committee strive to raise the standard of the White Southampton Taxis, and we need to keep this momentum alive...We really do welcome the input from SHA members, some of you are very proactive, yet we are looking for positive contributions from many more of you, so do get in touch. 

We will let you know the details of the Southampton Hackney Association AGM asap.

Instead of always relying on a Satellite Navigation System, we often find that a street map of Southampton is really reliable and useful for your taxi. Especially when roads are closed or traffic is heavy.

Why not spend around £5 on the compact A-Z Atlas of Southampton, available in most bookshops and garages? The A-Z gives you over 7000 street names, industrial estates, selected flats, student halls and other places of interest.

Over 300 A-Z maps and atlases for a whole host of Towns and Cities is available from www.az.co.uk - fantastic information for professional drivers!

The Southampton Hackney Association was established in 2001 to promote and benefit Southampton Hackney Taxi drivers in the city.

We are approved by Southampton City Council with whom we regularly consult, and are affiliated to Associated British Ports. Southampton Hackney Carriage drivers are all licensed, and regulated by Southampton City Council.

Southampton Hackney Association is not a "taxi company", we are an Association for our member drivers. If you would like to join us find out more here and do get in touch  - look forward to hearing from you.

Unfortunately due to the snowy weather a lot of Southampton Taxis are not working today due to the condition of the side roads.

The Southampton Hackney Association suggests that before anybody ventures out, they contact Taxi Companies first to see if they have available cars on the roads in and around the City Centre.

When you require a taxi in Southampton, there are three ways that you can do this -

Phone for one, flag one down, or approach a taxi which is sat on a taxi rank at the roadside

All the licensed white cabs in Southampton are fully insured to pick people up from the roadside. These have an identification licence plate on the back outlined in red.  White saloon car taxis also have a large roof box which clearly identifies them as a taxi, and Multi-Purpose Vehicle taxis including the famous London cab, have a taxi sign on the roof.

It's really important for people to know that if they get into a Southampton Private Hire Vehicle at the roadside, without it having been specifally pre-booked for them the insurance is invalid - leaving them at risk should there be an accident. Private Hire Vehicles do not have a taxi sign on their roof , and can be any colour except white - so it is very easy to tell the difference.

There is to be zero tolerance towards Private Hire's touting for work at the roadside, as it is illegal and dangerous.  Additionally, these vehicles are costing the Southampton Taxi Drivers who are licensed to pick up people from the roadside, a serious loss in income which they simply cannot afford.

Private Hire drivers who commit misdemeanours, such as picking up people without a pre-booking will be reported to the Southampton City Council Licensing Department.

Remember - White Taxis (like the one above) in Southampton are fully insured to pick people up from the roadside and taxi ranks.

Private Hire Vehicles (which are any colour except white) can only pick people up who have pre-booked a ride - otherwise their insurance is invalid leaving their passengers at risk.