Charging a fare for a journey in a Hackney Carriage or Private Hire Vehicle

If your vehicle has a hackney carriage licence, you'll need to:

If your vehicle has a private hire licence, you don't need to fit a fare meter and you can agree a fare with the customer before the journey.

The fare for hiring a hackney carriage vehicle is calculated using a basic fare (Rate 1), plus any appropriate additional charges.

Rate 1

For a complete journey in a hackney carriage licensed vehicle, you can charge a passenger up to:

£3.40 for journeys of up to 182 metres
£3.40 for journeys of more than 182 meters plus 10p for every additional 62 meters and 10p for any uncompleted part
35p per minute or uncompleted part of a minute, waiting time once the meter is started

It's an offence for the proprietor or driver to demand and take a fare greater than that shown on the taximeter.

Any discount given to the customer must be discounted from the amount shown on the meter.

Additional charges may apply, depending on things like when the vehicle is hired, and how many passengers are being carried.

You should charge the Rate 1 fare for a journey, plus 50%:

You should charge the appropriate Rate 1 fare for the journey, plus 100% if you're hired between:

If you receive a specific request to hire a vehicle with more than 4 passenger seats, you should charge an additional 50%.

If you're carrying between 5 and 8 passengers, you should charge an additional 50%.

If the vehicle needs to be cleaned before it can be used again, you can charge up to £50.

If a hackney carriage is hired by time, the fare should be agreed at the start of the hiring period.

Please check the tariff card in the vehicle for information on how the rates for saloons and minibuses are allocated on the meter.

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