What you should know about Taxis in Belfast.

Many of us use taxis rarely; perhaps only when going out and not wanting to drink and drive. But for others, using taxis each week can be a necessity. Such users include those who do not own a car and have too many shopping bags to climb on and off a bus, the disabled, and the worker who finishes too late to get a bus home. A survey has shown that most taxi users feel they have cause to complain. This is either about the fare charged, the attitude of the driver or the condition of the vehicle.

A few tips for when using taxis in Belfast would be, 1. Ensure the taxi has a valid licence plate. 2. Check to see if the driver is wearing a taxi drivers badge, 3. Check to see if the meter begins at the correct fare, generally £3.00 and make sure the driver switches on the meter when starting the journey. Unfortunately there are some unscrupulous drivers out there that will try to charge a rediculously high fare or charge per passenger travelling in the vehicle. This practice is against the law and should be reported to the DVA on the number below.

Useful information

All Licensed taxis must display the driver's ID badge, a roof light or sign and licence plates on Windows and both the front and back of the vehicle. The taxi Licence plates are rectangular shape and are either coloured Green, Yellow, White or White and Blue.

• A green licence plate means the taxi must be pre-booked either in person at a depot or by phone. These taxis are not required to be wheelchair accessible or have a meter.
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• A yellow licence plate means the taxi can be hailed in the street or from designated taxi ranks when the roof light is on. These taxis are wheelchair accessible and must have a meter and are the only Taxi's that can pick up on taxi ranks or randomly in Belfast without being pre booked in advance.
  
• A white licence plate means that the taxi can be pre-booked or hailed in areas outside a five mile radius of Belfast City Centre. These taxis are not required to be wheelchair accessible or have a meter.
• White and blue licence plates are issued to taxis that provide bus type services, ie they charge passengers an individual fare. These taxis - which operate in North and West Belfast and in Londonderry - are not required to have a meter but are wheelchair accessible.

In Belfast, public hire taxi rates are fixed at £3.00 for the first 0.5 mile and 10p for each one-tenth of a mile thereafter. These rates apply until 8pm Monday to Friday. Fares increase on journeys made between 8pm and midnight Monday to Friday, midnight to 6am Monday to Sunday, and all day Saturday and Sunday. There are other rates for carrying five or more passengers, waiting time and luggage. No other taxi rates are fixed, so make sure you shop around and, especially if you're going on a long journey, make sure you know beforehand how much you're going to have to pay.

Under disability law, all public hire taxis are to be able to cope with wheelchairs. However, there are still some which cannot accommodate a wheelchair. If you're intending to use a taxi, you'll want to be sure that it's safe. First, make sure that the vehicle is actually a taxi. Check that it has a proper roof sign and the appropriate plates, and if in any doubt, ask the driver to let you see his badge. When applying for a taxi-driving licence, drivers must show that they are medically fit and of good conduct. They must not smoke while in the vehicle. Taxis are regarded as Public Service Vehicles and are checked at least once a year by the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA). The DVA inspects to make sure the vehicle is roadworthy and clean, that it and the driver are properly licensed, and that there is proper insurance. Meters in Belfast public hire taxis are also checked to make sure they're working out the charges correctly.

What to do if you have a complaint

As we have said earlier, most taxi users feel they have cause to complain. But of those, only about six out of every ten actually do complain. Reasons for complaining include-

• the taxi failing to show up at all, or coming late;
• high fares;
• unacceptable conduct by the driver; and
• the condition of the vehicle.

If you feel you've been treated unreasonably, try first to get it sorted with the taxi driver or, where appropriate, the depot. If that fails, write to the Taxi Licensing Officer. The address and phone number are shown below. Please remember, if you're going to make a complaint, it will make things much more simple and quicker if you've taken a note of the vehicle's registration number or the driver or taxi licence number which can be found either on one of the windows or at the back and front of the vehicle.

Contacts

Taxi Licensing Officer
Road Transport Licensing Division
Driver Vehicle Agency
148-158 Corporation Street
Belfast
BT1 3DH
Phone: 028 9025 4180 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 028 9025 4180 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Fax: 028 9025 4186
Email: martin.smyth@doeni.gov.uk
Web: www.dvlni.gov.uk/commercial/taxi/index.htm