Private hire drivers in Southampton call for council to allow multiple operator door signage
Private hire drivers licensed with Southampton City Council have called for the licensing committee to allow for multiple operator door signage to be used by individual drivers who want to accept jobs from more than one operator.
Members of the licensing committee discussed the request during their latest meeting, but have decided for the current ‘status quo’ of just one operator door sticker to be used, while they considered the request further.
Councillor Graham Galton said: "We are aware of the door signage issue, that is something that is being looked at and hopefully we will come to a decision in the not too distant future.”
Currently all private hire drivers licensed with Southampton City Council must display door signage which shows both the name of the operator and licensing authority. Drivers have stressed that this limits them to just one operator, when in reality they could work for multiple firms, increasing their earning capacity.
Southampton private hire trade representative, Ali Haydor, said that the industry was not saying vehicles should no longer have signage, but instead requesting that drivers be allowed alternative signs which don’t limit their options and helps offer them “job security”.
Licensing committee members said they were not willing to make a decision without looking at the overall impact a change could have on the taxi and private hire industry as a whole. It was pointed out to them that the decision to introduce door signage was to protect the public following a number of incidents, and any decision to have them removed would see the trade go backwards in their safety procedures.
It was concluded that more time was needed to gather information to help city bosses make a final decision.
