Hackney Carriage vehicles carry a blue licence plate on the vehicle

Hackney Carriage vehicles can pick up passengers from a designated taxi rank within Torbay. They can also be hailed in the street or they can be pre-booked through an office.

Hackney Carriage vehicles must display a roof sign signifying that it is a taxi.

Private Hire vehicles carry a red licence plate on the vehicle

They also carry signs on both front doors of the vehicle displaying that they are pre-booked or advanced booking only.

Private Hire vehicles are only available to passengers who have pre-booked the vehicle (either in person or by telephone), through the company's office or telephone number. Private Hire vehicles cannot pick up passengers off the street.

Licence plates and badges

The licence plate on both Hackney Carriage and Private Hire vehicles are displayed at the rear of the vehicle and displays the licence number, vehicle registration number and maximum number of passengers the vehicle is allowed to carry as well as the licence expiry date.

Both hackney carriage and private hire drivers are issued with an ID badge showing their photograph and licence details.  This badge must be visible and can be worn or displayed in the vehicle. 

Meters

A Hackney Carriage must by law have a fitted meter which works out the correct fare, whilst Private Hire vehicles will have a meter fitted, but they are not required in law to carry one.

Fares

The fares for Hackney Carriage vehicles are set by us, whilst the fare for Private Hires are not regulated by us and are set by the company they work for.