A range of well known cruise companies operate from Southampton's four passenger cruise terminals including P&O Cruises, Princess, Cunard, Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line and Fred Olsen, making Southampton the UK's number one cruise port. 

With a huge number of holidaymakers passing through Southampton in order to embark and/or disembark cruise liners, it is a regular destination for our Hackney Carriage Taxi drivers who are ready at the cruise terminals when a ship comes in to transport you home or to your hotel.

For a convenient and safe trip after your cruise, simply look out for one of our white Hackney Carriage Taxis waiting at the cruise terminal when you disembark - they are easy to spot by their white roof signs and red hackney carriage licence on the back of the vehicle. Our drivers will be happy to help you with your luggage and drive you safely to your required destination.

Are you a local Hackney Taxi Driver? Why not join our group of self employed taxi drivers? Southampton Hackney Assosciation was set up in 2001 as a way to promote and benefit Hackney Taxi drivers in the city of Southampton. By becoming a member of the SHA you can benefit from the support of other drivers who have similar interests and issues of concerns as yourself.

Southampton Hackney Assosciation are approved and in regular consultation with Southampton City Council, helping them in fomulating policies which will be beneficial to our trade. We are also proud to be affiliated to Assosicated British Ports.

We are always pleased to welcome new members! If you would like to be considered for membership please download the form at the bottom of the Join Us page of our website. Or get in touch with any questions or queries.

You will see a number of different vehicles in Southampton transporting passengers including Hackney Carriage Taxis, (like ourselves) Private Hire vehicles and Minicabs but surprisingly not everybody knows the difference!

Often people don't realise that only licensed Hackney Carriage Taxis are allowed to be hailed from the roadside. Private Hire vehicle and Minicabs can only transport passengers who have prebrooked.

In addition to being able to 'hail and ride', there are other reasons for taking a white Hackney Carriage Taxi too:

• Licenced and registered by Southampton City Council
• Drivers are all CRB checked
• Majority of drivers hold NVQ or BTEC qualifications in transporting passengers by taxi
• Nearly all vehicles are fitted with CCTV
• Cars are MOT checked each year and given additional roadworthy testing if over 2 years old
• Vehicles are retired after 9 or 12 years

Hackney Carriage Taxis are easy to spot in and around the city as they are all white with a white taxi sign on the roof and red licence on the back of the vehicle. Private Hire cars, on the other hand, can be any colour and don't have the taxi sign on the roof.

For a safe journey home, choose a Hackney Carriage Taxi!

As Chairman of the Southampton Hackney Association (SHA) which was established in 2001, we will continue for many, many years, to support our members to the utmost but as a local taxi association, there is only so much we can do.

It is never too late to join a trade union and believe it or not, I have just done this myself in joining the GMB. I have joined because I need some protection connected with my job and the union can give me advice, support and representation in my workplace. There are a number of areas the Union can help with including injuries and accidents at work, road traffic accidents, industrial disease, criminal injury and disciplinary hearings, to name but a few.

Established in the late 1800s, over time the GMB has merged with a number of other unions to create the third largest in this country with almost 639,000 members. The GMB protect people in a whole range of workplaces and are proud to represent licensed drivers having a proactive Taxi Branch in London and some areas of the country including the private hire trade too. 

The cost of GMB membership is £13 a month by direct debit.  A road traffic fund is an additional cost, which offers a variety of benefits.

You can join online by visiting their website: https://www.gmb.org.uk/join OR contact me for a membership form: info@southamptontaxis.org - giving me you name and mobile number.

Southampton City Centre offers a lively and varied night life with a great range of bars, clubs and music venues. So whatever kind of music you enjoy, whether you want to dance or simply relax, you can find something to suit your taste! Multi room clubs such as Oceana at Leisureworld offer a range of events and plenty of space for dancing or if live music is more your thing, The Platform Tavern at Town Quay offers great atmosphere and live music four days a week. There's plenty of clubs to choose from around Above Bar Street including Yates and Switch, or why not head down towards Oxford Street for a range of pubs and bars including The White Star Tavern where you can enjoy an al fresco cocktail?

Take a look at the link below for a useful map of Southampton nightlife - Southampton Hackney Association can take you to all these places and more in and around Southampton.

Nightlife in Southampton City Centre

You won't need to decide what time you want to come home with a Hackney Carriage cab as there's no need to pre book! You will find our taxis at taxi ranks throughout the city including Above Bar Street opposite Yates, London Road (nighttime only), Leisureworld cinema entrance and Town Quay opposite the Red Funnel Terminal. Or simply hail from the roadside!

Southampton Hackney Association Taxis are fully insured, all our drivers are CRB checked and nearly all vehicles are fitted with CCTV - so you can be sure of a safe journey home.

Despite being known for its interesting history and heritage, Southampton City Centre is also the perfect place to visit for some more modern entertainment! 

Why not give West Quay a visit with over 100 shops, a choice of stylish restaurants, Hollywood Bowl and new Showcase Cinema De Lux - there's certainly plenty to keep you busy for the day.

Some great reasons to get a Hackney Carriage taxi to and from West Quay include:

• Saves you the stress of driving in the city traffic - just sit back and relax!
• Avoid the hassle of finding a parking space - get dropped off right where you want to be.
• Treat yourself to nice drink while you're out without worrying about having to drive.

Travel by taxi for a more relaxing way to enjoy a trip out to to West Quay. You can can find white Hackney Carriage taxis, at all hours, at the rank opposite West Quay.

There are always plenty of white taxis waiting at Southampton cruise terminal to take passenger to different destinations, whether it be back home after a trip away, to a hotel for those stopping over in the city or to a local place of interest for those on a short visit!

There is lots to see in Southampton as one recent tourist from Columbia, South Carolina wrote about in a letter publised in The Echo. After disembarking their cruise liner, they had the option of going straight to Heathrow and fly home or to stay and explore Southampton. They decided on the latter and after visiting the Old Walls, the Tudor House and the Titanic Museum, they were very glad they did, commenting: "We'll be back and we'll be telling all our friends in the US to plan a stay in Southampton after they get off the boat."

It's so easy to explore the city in a white Hackney Carriage taxi, simply jump in one of the white vehicles with a white taxi sign and red Hackney Carriage license plate to travel to one of the city's many popular destinations such as the City Centre or Old Walls. Or why not visit a nearby place of interest such as The New Forest or Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard?

For organised day trip including those further afield such as Stonehenge, Bath or London, a white Hackney Carriage taxi can provide a comfortable journey with stops for refeshments when necessary. We have taxis with ramps which are adapted for wheelchair users and your driver can provide any necessary asisstance.

Look out for white Hackney Carriage Taxis waiting for you at the cruise terminal.

Transportation Network Company Uber are currently in the news due to the recent resignation of Rachel Whetstone, who had been the Senior Vice-President of Communications and Public Policy for the company over the past two years. Former political advisor to the Conservative party, Rachel Whetstone's connections to the government including former Prime Minister David Cameron are now coming under question as the The Information Commissioner's Office begin an enquiry into claims of a cover up between Uber and Number 10 Downing Street.

Since its arrival in the city a year ago, the Uber service has grown extensively. It is now not uncommon to spot private hire vehicles in the city displaying no company name or ID plates and driven by those who have not undertaken a Southampton topography test. Due to the government's Deregulation Act of 2015, which urgently needs to be repealed, we also have cars coming from other areas of Southampton, despite not being licenced by Southampton City Council who do so freely and legally.

To ensure a safe and comfortable journey always choose a white Hackney Carriage. They can easily be recognised by their white colour, red licence plate which displays the bargate logo and TAXI sign on the rooftop. You can be assured that all Hackney Taxi drivers have an enhanced DBS check including all necessary certification. The vehicles themselves are also subject to an annual compliance check and a secondary MOT from a VOSA garage if over 2 years old.

For peace of mind use a white Hackney Taxi for your journey - hail from the road or find us at one of the many taxi ranks in the city.

On Wednesday 17th and Thursday 18th May, the Private Hire and Taxi Exhibition will be taking place at Arena MK in Milton Keynes.

Here you will find over 60 interesting exhibitors all connected to our trade from fleet services to sign makers, legal advice to uniform manufacturers. 

There will also be a range of trade related seminars with plenty of opportunity for lively discussion and debate on a range of topics.

Well worth a visit!

You can find further information including a list of exhibitors who will be at the show here.

Heathrow has recently opened a new Authorised Vehicle Area with the aim to help reduce the number of private hire vehicles parking in local resident roads around the airport.

This dedicated facility enables private hire vehicles and licenced taxis to wait for passengers prior to picking them up from a short stay car park and meeting at an agreed location inside the terminal.

Facilities available include toilets, vending machines, hot refreshments and smoking area.

Despite high awareness among London based private hire companies, nationwide we still need to spread the word about this facility so please find out more using the link below and share with fellow drivers.

Find further information about Heathrow Authorised Vehicle Area including location and opening hours here.