London Minicab Insurance
Are you having trouble finding competitive London Minicab Insurance?
If you are driving a minicab for hire or reward in the London area, you will need a specialist London minicab insurance policy to legally allow the carriage of passengers in your vehicle. All vehicles for private hire must be licensed by the London Public Carriage Office (PCO) and have private hire insurance.
How do you tell the difference between a private and public hire taxi?
Private hire licensed vehicles are not allowed to display the sign "Taxi" and as such be flagged down for public hire. They are only allowed to carry passengers who have pre-booked through an operator and thus typically display a clearly visible sign on the vehicle to the effect of "not insured unless booked through operator". Anyone found picking up passengers off the streets without a pre-booking is breaking the law and is contravening the terms of the drivers private hire license.
Minicab Licensing (Private Hire)
After many years campaigning the PCO took over the responsibility of private hire taxi licensing in London. This is the same organisation responsible for Black cab licensing but they only took on private hire licensing in 1998.
Still to this day, the number of people cruising the streets under the guise of a private hire / minicab driver is high. These drivers do not want to pay for their minicab license but at the same time do not have any London minicab insurance so any accidents or injuries arising from these journeys are not insured; neither the driver or the passengers!
It is imperative for passengers that regularly take minicab rides to know that their journey will not be insured unless the following licenses issued by the PCO are present.
- The OPERATORS license - this should reside in the minicab office and should be on clear show for any potential passengers in the office or shop to see.
- Private hire VEHICLE license - this is issued when the minicab has been tested to be fit for purpose. These licenses are date specific and should be clearly displayed in the front and rear window of the minicab. Before this license is issued by the PCO a valid London minicab insurance policy must be presented.
- Private hire DRIVERS license - drivers will be screened by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) to ensure no previous criminal convictions. They will also be tested for an understanding of the London roads.
Only when the PCO are convinced that the driver, vehicle and operator are right for the job will they offer a license.
How do I enquire about London Minicab Insurance with Acorn?
The best way to receive a London minicab insurance quote from Acorn is to simply give us a call on 01704 831 818. Because we're insurance underwriters we don't just apply a blanket policy, we like to speak to you so that we can tailor your policy to your exact needs.
Our insurance professionals are lovely people and will tend to your every need. They will provide you with a no-obligation quote but importantly, we like to speak to you to see if there is any circumstances that we discover that might mean that you can save a little bit of money. We know that every penny helps so we'll try our hardest to save you some money with your London minicab Insurance.
If you'd prefer then simply click the "Get a Quote button"' and fill out the information requested and we'll get back to you with a quote.
