New council licensing rule could see a ban on hackney carriage taxis carrying front seat passengers

Swindon hackney carriage drivers may no longer be permitted to carry passengers in the front seat of their taxis if new proposals are agreed.

Councillors on the borough council’s licensing committee will consider a proposal to formalise the existing practice where licensed hackney carriages may not carry passengers ahead of the divider between the main compartment and the driver, the Swindon Advertiser first reported. 

The licensing committee will be presented with the report at a meeting which is due to take place at the council chamber. 

The report says: ‘The principle behind the licensing of hackney carriage vehicles is not only one of public safety, but also of driver safety. ‘Based on this, the authority has continued to restrict the licence to fare paying passengers sitting behind the partition. This practice has been in place as an implied restriction since 1989 but for clarity it is now proposed that it become a specific clear condition attached to each licence.’

Image: Source; Geograph 

Image: Author; Stephen McKay