It is illegal for Private Hire Vehicles (PHV) to tout for business or pick up people from the roadside without being pre-booked as by doing so, it invalidates the driver's insurance putting passengers and others at risk. Only licensed Hackney Carriage Drivers are able to pick people up from taxi ranks and after being hailed from the kerbside. In Southampton, these taxis can be identified as they are all white. There is a zero tolerance approach to illegal touting for business by unlicensed taxis and PHV's in the city.

 

Birmingham City Council are very pro-active in clamping down on illegal drivers, and have a special police motorcyclist backed up by a team of over 30 special constables, plain clothes policeman and under cover surveillance teams to deal with the illegal touting and offences that are committed by private hire and taxi drivers. PC Humpherson has been talking to PHTM  (Private Hire & Taxi Magazine) about his role in clamping down on this dangerous trade see pages 56-57 here.

 

Apparently for the past 10 years for reasons of public safety and fair trade Birmingham City Council & the Police have carried out regular Taxi and Private Hire plying and touting operations, and  also safety checks which involve the licensing enforcement team on a regular basis. The aim is to catch those who tout for business illegally.

 

PC Humpherson says that offenders are prosecuted and their vehicles can be seized. During 2013 - 900 Private Hire Vehicles were checked; 21% failed on safety grounds and 42% didn't compy with taxi regulations and were prosecuted.  

 

PC Humpherson and Birmingham County Council have found one of the ways to get their message across is via social media, you can follow special police motorcyclist PC Humpherson on Twitter @bhamtaxicop