Are you a local business? You could benefit from advertising on the Southampton Hackney Association ‘Our Partners’ page. The SHA website has a number of regular visits from both our taxi driver members and the users of our licensed white Southampton taxis.
Professional Tour Guiding Organisation See Southampton are the latest business to join our page. Their informative and entertaining guided walks around the city enable you to discover the hidden history of Southampton.
There’s no need to be linked to the taxi trade to advertise on our page, we are open to a variety of businesses, big or small. For a low, competitive rate you can have an advert on our animated wall which turns to reveal contact details or further information and links directly to your website.
Come and take a look at the Our Partners page here or get in touch for more information about advertising on the Southampton Hackney Association website.
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.
The
2015 Deregulation Act which included the controversial cross-bordering hire clause is having a detrimental effect on the taxi trade in our City.
Southampton City Council Licensing Department needs to cooperate with surrounding councils including London, whereby licensing officers can have reciprocal powers of enforcement on any and all cars and vehicles that come into our district from elsewhere.
We have a bizarre situation when cars from places as far afield as London, for example, are permitted to work legitimately in Southampton, not having any of our licensing conditions including the requirement for CCTV camera's, something that we have to have at a cost of £700 plus for each car.
This so-called wonderful clause of the Deregulation Act is causing more hassle, upset and confusion and red tape than The Department For Transport could have ever imagined.
The licensing department at Southampton City Council have contacted the SHA regarding the zebra artworks which are located around Southampton. Unfortunately and appallingly some have been stolen and others damaged by vandals. The council would therefore like taxi drivers to help out by keeping an eye on the zebras whilst they drive around, reporting any suspicious activity they see to the police.
The Southampton Hackney Association are absolutely horrifed to hear about this unnecessary damage, especially since working in collaboration with Marwell Zoo, many artists have spent months giving up their time to decorate the sculptures. The lifesize zebras have been created to raise awareness of endangered species, and are to be auctioned off to raise funds to specifically help Grevy’s zebras and other wildlife in the arid regions of northern Kenya.
The Southampton Hackney Association (SHA) committee and prominent members of the SHA​​ had a productive meeting recently when we met with Southampton City Council Licensing Officers to discuss​​ the Fit and Proper Person Test for drivers, and the future ​​new consultation process which at the moment looks rather positive.
The Fit and Proper Person Test applies to licensed drivers for both Hackney Carriages and Private Hire Vehicles. The test is to ensure the safety and protection fo the public when they travel by taxi. Thorough checks are undertaken by the council before giving anyone a license to drive, you can find out more about the test on the government documentation
here.
