In response to DEFRA's UK Air Quality Plan in December 2015, Southampton will be one of five cities required to create a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) within which penalty charges will be implemented for the most polluting HGV's, buses and taxis by 2020.
Although the government have not finalised the framework or regulations to enable the introduction of the CAZ and the penalty charging system, Southampton City Council (SCC) are taking the first steps in the process of determining how the CAZ might work. SCC have confirmed that they will not be requring all taxis in Southampton to be either LPG or electric. Diesel taxis of a Euro 6 standard or Euro 4 petrol and above will not be penalised. However they are working on a number of initiatives to support and promote the use of ultra-low emission vehicles across the whole city fleet, including taxis and private hire vehicles.
As an issue which could significantly affect Southampton Hackney Carriage members, the SHA will be working alongside Southampton City Council in adopting a policy on emmisions in order to improve the quality of our city's air.
New laws announced by The Department for Transport mean that from yesterday onwards the fine and penalties for using a mobile phone while driving have significantly increased. In fact, fines for using your phone at the wheel have now doubled to £200 in addition to 6 points on your licence.
Caught for a second time and you will find yourself in court along with a fine of up to £1000 and a driving ban of up to 6 months. This would particularly impact those in their first two years of driving who would be required to re-sit their driving test.
We understand people often need to make or receive a call on their way somewhere, whether it's to make an urgent appointment, an important business call or simply to make sure someone's put the dinner on! But if you don't have a hands free kit or need to text, email or use social media on your way somewhere, why not jump into a Southampton Hackney Association white Southampton City Council licensed taxi? Leave the driving to us and you can be free to use your phone in whatever way you need while we we take care of getting you safely to your destination.
Our taxis are easy to recognise by the white sign on the roof and the red Hackney Carriage licence sign on the back of the vehicle. You can hail and ride a white Hackney Carriage Taxi or find us at one of the many taxi ranks located throughout the city.
Source: ITV News: Fines for using mobile phones at the wheel to double today
​Many people get in touch with The Southampton Hackney Association (SHA) asking about their bag, phone and other belongings left in a white taxi in the city. It's important to know that the Southampton Hackney Association is not a taxi company. We are simply an association of licensed taxi drivers who work with a white taxi in Southampton City. As such we have no lost property office. The SHA was set up to support and promote Hackney Carriage Taxi drivers
There are lots of requirements and certification needed to have to become licensed as a Hackney Carriage driver in Southampton. One of the conditions is that if a driver finds lost property in his cab, he must take it to Southampton Central Police Station. So this should be your first port of call.
The driver of the cab involved, obviously cannot know if the next customer may have found your lost items and not handed them onto the driver, therefore lost property is beyond the drivers responsibility. Please make sure you always take care of your personal effects in any taxi, and ensure you take all your belongings with you when you leave the vehicle.
In Southampton licensed saloon car taxis are white in colour and all of them have an illuminated roofbox - which is the width of the roof - displaying the word TAXI, with the Southampton City Council Bargate logo. The licensed multi seater white taxis have a sticker on the near and off side window showing the identification plate number.
It has come to our notice that there are other white saloon cars that are pretending to be taxis, but have no roofboxes and no identification plate on the rear bumper.
Do please check you are getting into the correct vehicle with an identification sticker - this can also be found on the inside of the windscreen. It should portray the plate number of the taxi, which coincides with the number on the rear bumper.
Caring for Your Safety
All Southampton Hackney Association drivers are regulated, licensed and very importantly CRB checked by Southampton City Council. Most drivers also hold an NVQ and BTEC qualification in transporting passengers, and nearly all Southampton Hackney Carriages have CCTV cameras installed.
Southampton Hackney Carriage Vehicles are MOT checked every year (compliance test) to ensure they are roadworthy. If a vehicle is more than 2 years old it also has to have an additional roadworthy test. To ensure passenger safety Taxis are retired after 9 to 12 years depending on the vehicle type.
Members of the Southampton Hackney Association are always pleased to be able to assist passengers who wish to get to and from their cruise ships in Southampton. We are proudly connected with the Associated British Ports who manage the Port, and our Taxis are easy to spot when you disembark your ship, just look for the white taxi sign on the roof, a red Hackney Carriage License and a coloured permit in the window which shows the driver has permission to pick up cruise ship passengers from the roadside at the port.
Southampton Hackney Association member drivers can also provide transfers to and from Southampton Cruise Terminal. Our drivers are happy to assist you with your luggage and will get you to your destination safely. If you would like to pre-book a transfer, simply use our Trip Enquiry Form or get in contact for for any questions and advice. You will receive a quotations within 24 hours.
With less than a month to go until Christmas Day, Southampton is busy with Christmas shoppers preparing for the big day.
If you’re struggling to carry all your shopping or contending with bad weather on your way home from the shops, find a white Southampton Taxi for a safe and comfortable trip home for you and your shopping!
You will find Southampton Hackney Carriage cabs at taxi ranks located throughout the city at:
Both sides of the Southampton train station - in Commercial Road side and on the Toys R Us side
West Quay - Portland Terrace opposite main entrance to West Quay shopping centre
Portland Terrace, near bus stops by Asda
At the Bargate in High Street by A Plan Insurance
Town Quay outside Red Jet Terminal (IOW)
Terminus Terrace, near to Oxford Street
Above Bar Street, opposite Yates pub
Church Street in Shirley
Portswood High Street
Bitterne - Angel Crescent
Opposite Debenhams in Queensway
Leisure World cinema entrance
Hannover Buildings outside Santander bank
Bannister Street outside Night Club (night time only)
St. Mary's Road outside British Gas offices (night time only)
London Road (night time only)
All Southampton Hackney Carriage Taxi Cab drivers are licensed to pick up passengers from the pavement when hailed, or from the taxi ranks. You can easily recognise our taxis from the taxi sign on the roof, red licence plate on the back and The Bargate logo or markings on the side of the vehicle and windows. Happy Shopping from all Southampton Taxi Drivers!
We are very grateful to SEE Southampton for sending us some photos of taxis in times gone by. Above is a proud taxi driver with his wonderful vehicle in Above Bar in the city. This must have been an incredibly luxurious way to get about the city at the time, or perhaps he was a chauffeur for a well to do family?
We've also been shown these two ads for taxis from the 1960s. We love the logo on the second one which shows the taxi company being able to link customers from the airport to the cruise ships. World travel was an exciting and hard to reach prospect for many at the time. The forward thinking company also gave their cable address so that people could get in touch more easily, whilst more local customers are asked to 'write' for more information - something that would not happen nowadays! Note the short phone number - not everyone had a home phone in the 1960s.
The ad states they offer 'Luxury Road Travel from Southampton", we wonder what type of car this would have been in?
The Southampton Hackney Association are very interested in the history of the taxis and drivers in the city. At the moment we are asking if they anyone has interesting fact and figures, photos or videos of Southampton taxis in bygone years? If you have we would love to hear about them!
In particular at the moment we are trying to find out some background history of a taxi driver who went by the name of 'Tiny' in the 1940s. He was actually over 6ft tall, and worked in the Lower Town area of the City just after the Second World War. Please do get in touch if you have any information about him.
above an image from PortCities Southampton of an early motor cycle taxi.
As autumn progresses and the evenings get darker, make sure you have a safe journey home by hailing a Southampton Hackney Carriage taxi. Whether you are a student on a big night out, or simply enjoying a meal or a few drinks - you are likely to find it surprisingly dark when it is time to go home. Don’t take a risk with your safety by walking in the dark, look out for a taxi light on a white hackney carriage for a comfortable and secure ride home.
Hail and Ride Safely
When you hail a white Southampton Hackney Carriage taxi, you are safe in the knowledge that you are insured to travel. Private hire cars (which can be any colour except white and have no roof sign) are not insured to pick you up from the roadside. Southampton Hackney Carriage Association taxis also offer additional peace of mind:
All our drivers are licensed and regulated by Southampton City Council
SHA drivers are CRB checked
Many of our taxi drivers hold additional qualifications such an NVQ or BTEC in transporting passengers by taxi
Many of our cars are fitted with CCTV
On Dark Nights, Look for the Light…
It’s easy to recognise a hackney carriage when looking for transport home. Look out for a white vehicle with a lit white ‘taxi’ sign on the roof and a red hackney carriage license plate on the back. Please stay safe on dark nights.
ITV News have reported that Sadiq Khan has devised a new plan to help London's black cab drivers to compete with Uber drivers. The plan incoudes several ideas to enable the cabbies to get more work:
- Boosting the number of taxi ranks in the city
- Opening up more bus lanes which can be used by the London cab drivers
- Getting the taxi driver test 'The Knowledge' accredited as a formal qualification
- New rules for private hire drivers which would include passing an English test, more insurance regulations and ensuring the driver and vehicle details are given to customers before the start of their journey.
The Mayor of London says:
"Our new taxi and private hire action plan will ....create a vibrant taxi and private hire market where all providers can continue to flourish....I have been determined to drive up standards and improve safety for every passenger in London, while protecting the future of our iconic black cabs that provide a unique and invaluable service for Londoners."
Steve McNamara of the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association said that:
"The taxi trade welcomes the new plan and recognises its commitment to raising safety standards in the Private Hire (PH) industry. We particularly welcome the mayor's decision to re-visit the requirement for operator insurance for PH [Private Hire]vehicles and his request that central Government define plying for hire in statute.
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