18/12/2025
🎅🎉 With the busy Christmas holidays coming up, festive season plans often mean leaving the car at home and taking a taxi instead.
🚕 So if you’re catching a cab during the holiday period, follow these top tips to keep safe.
✔️ Know the difference between hackney carriages (taxis) and private hire vehicles - taxis licensed by the Council are black with a roof sign and yellow licence plates on the front, back and side doors. They can be hired at a taxi rank, hailed in the street or pre-booked directly.
Private hire vehicles can be any colour except black and display white licence plates, on the front, back and side doors. These vehicles must be pre-booked and cannot be pre-booked directly with a driver or hailed in the street.
✔️ Take a picture of the vehicle licence plate. If you need to report a problem, you can send the photo to us or the police.
✔️ Only get into a pre-booked private hire taxi. Pre-booked private hire operators usually send you the type, colour of the vehicle and the registration number. Check the number plate matches before you get in.
✔️ Don’t take lifts offered through social media sites. Always go to a recognised taxi rank, hail an identifiable vehicle or pre-book a private hire vehicle with a licensed and fully insured operator. You can find details about private hire operators and taxi ranks in the Borough at www.stockton.gov.uk/taxi-ranks.
✔️ Ask how much the fare will be. When booking a vehicle with a private hire operator the fare should be confirmed upfront. A taxi must use a taxi meter, even if the journey is pre-booked. If you are travelling within the Borough, you can’t be charged more than the end fare on the meter.
✔️ Look for the driver’s ID badge. Drivers must wear their licence badge when working and a vehicle copy should be displayed on the dashboard.
✔️ If you’re travelling alone, sit in the back.
✔️ Never take a taxi with a stranger.
✔️ If you experience a problem, always report it. Thousands of journeys are completed safely, but if you do encounter a problem report it via https://digital.stockton.gov.uk/make-a-complaint-about-a-taxi-driver-vehicle-or-company or to the police if it’s a more serious issue.
