Published: Wednesday, 26th July 2023
Over the coming months taxi and private hire passengers will see small changes to how the borough’s fleet of licensed vehicles look.
Following a decision by the council’s licensing committee – which has been supported by the trade – the positioning of identification plates and operator logos on the vehicles will change.
Oldham Council licensed vehicles will now only display a rear licence plate. This plate will provide the licence number, vehicle registration number, expiry date, number of passengers allowed and the vehicle make and model.
Licence plates will no longer be displayed on the front of vehicles. Instead plate numbers will displayed in the top left of the vehicle windscreen.
There will no longer be large door signs showing operator details. They will instead have a smaller yellow door sign on the rear passenger doors of the vehicle that states: ‘Private Hire Vehicle. Not insured unless pre-booked with the operator.’
The logo of the operator they are working for will be on show in the passenger side of their windscreen.
This will enable residents who use landlines or shop phones when ordering a vehicle to be able to identify which one has arrived for them.
Councillor Arooj Shah, Leader of Oldham Council, said: “Our taxi drivers provide a great service to residents and visitors to Oldham.
“They work 24 hours a day and many people – including some our most vulnerable – rely on them for every day jobs, such as getting to health appointments or going shopping. During Covid they proved invaluable.
“These changes to vehicle signage bring the council into line with what the industry is doing in other parts of the country and although it may not seem significant it is important people make themselves aware of them.
“It’s good that the trade have supported the proposals because, like us, they recognise the industry is changing and modernising.”
Councillor Elaine Taylor, Deputy Leader of Oldham Council and Cabinet Member for Housing and Licensing, said: “As Arooj has said our cabbies provide a great local service.
“The trade employs a large number of people across the borough so it’s important the council has a good working relationship with drivers and their associations and we’ll be looking to develop this more over the coming months, which will ultimately benefit passengers.”
Neil Smith, North West & Irish Region Political Officer at GMB Trade Union, said: "Oldham taxi drivers have been waiting for this change for a long time, and through working with GMB Union they've been able to change Oldham Councils' policy on taxi signage.
“It is great to see Oldham Council leading on this campaign and supporting the taxi and private hire trade in the borough. We would like to thank the newly elected leader of Oldham council Arooj Shah, the Oldham licencing team and all the other organisations who worked with the GMB Union and Oldham Council to bring about this change.”
The Oldham Private Hire Drivers Association and the National Private Hire Taxi Association have welcomed the changes and said they will benefit passengers and drivers.
Currently there are 1,100 taxis and private hire licensed vehicles operating across Oldham.
The council always recommends checking you are getting into the right vehicle by confirming the name the vehicle is booked under.
Many residents now make the most of mobile phone apps or receive a text message providing the vehicle details arriving to collect them. You should always make sure the vehicle that has arrived matches what your app or text tells you.
If you have concerns over a vehicle or driver you can report it to the Licensing Service via licensing@oldham.gov.uk