Passenger guide to Taxi and Private hire

East Cambridgeshire District Council is committed to providing a professional, safe and high-quality hackney carriage and private service service. Find out how hackney carriage and private hire vehicles differ, get guidance, understand how to complain and view our current taxi fares

Hackney carriages 

Hackney Carriages (Taxis) licensed by East Cambridgeshire District Council:

• have a white ‘taxi' top sign on the roof 
• door signs on each side of the vehicle displaying the council crest and the words ‘Hackney Carriage’
• a white internal licence plate in the windscreen, and a white external licence plate at the rear
• Licence badges and plates have a QR code that you can scan to view live licence information

Taxi fares

All taxis are fitted with a taximeter. Journeys that start and end within the East Cambridgeshire boundary must be charged on the meter – this is the maximum chargeable fare. Journeys commencing or ending outside the district boundary must also be charged by the meter unless you pre-agree a fare with the driver before the journey commences.

Fares are set by the operator and should be agreed in advance. Where the operator uses a taxi to fulfil the booking, the meter must always be used. Where the journey starts and finishes within the district the total charge cannot exceed that of the meter even if pre-agreed.

You can find out current table of fares on this page.

Taxi ranks

There are three taxi ranks in Ely:

• Market Street: 56 Market Street, Ely, CB7 4LS
• Market Place: 7 Market Place, Ely, CB7 4PB
• The Railway Station: Station Road Ely Cambridgeshire CB7 4BS

Drivers are required to wear their driver’s licence badge.

Our licence plates and badges include a QR code that you can scan that will take you to our online licence register so you can check whether a licence is active.

Private hire vehicles 

Private hire vehicles licensed by East Cambridgeshire District Council:

• have a yellow ‘pre-booked only’ 
• door signs on each side of the vehicle
• a yellow internal licence plate in the windscreen
• a yellow external licence plate at the rear

Private hire vehicles must always be pre-booked through a licensed operator. It is illegal to hire one on the street and your journey may not be insured.

Fares are set by the operator and should be agreed in advance. The exception to this rule is where the operator uses a taxi to fulfil the booking, in which case they must abide by the same fare charging rules as taxis fulfilling immediate hire bookings.

Luggage, assistance dogs and wheelchairs

Taxi and private hire drivers must:

• transport a reasonable quantity of luggage for you
• provide reasonable assistance with loading and unloading your luggage
• allow you to travel with your assistance dog at no extra cost

Some taxi and private hire vehicles can transport wheelchair users or passengers with limited mobility or other support needs. 

Ask when hailing or booking the vehicle. The driver or operator will try to arrange any special access requirements you may have.

Drivers of wheelchair-accessible taxis and private hire vehicles must:

• transport you while in your wheelchair at no extra cost, if appropriate to the vehicle
• carry your wheelchair if you choose to sit in a passenger seat
• take any necessary steps to ensure you are carried safely and comfortably
• give you reasonable mobility assistance as required

List of wheelchair-accessible vehicles 

Under the Equality Act 2010, drivers must not refuse to carry an assistance dog or charge extra for doing so.

The Act also allows councils to maintain a list of wheelchair accessible vehicles. Where such a list is in place, drivers of these vehicles must not refuse to carry a wheelchair user, charge more for the journey, or refuse to provide reasonable mobility assistance before, during and after the journey.

The council passed a resolution on 26 June 2017 to maintain a list of wheelchair accessible vehicles.

It is considered a breach of licence conditions for all parties involved in a booking if they refuse to carry a wheelchair bound passenger where it is safe to do so, or to charge more for doing so, or to fail to provide reasonable assistance, or to refuse to carry an assistance dog, or to charge more for doing so.

If a driver is exempted from any of these provisions they will display a prescribed sign on the vehicle's window.

Complaints about taxi vehicles or drivers 

All complaints are recorded about taxis, expect where complainants do no want to provide contact details.

If you witness any driving offences or receive abuse, threats or harassment from a taxi driver, report it to Cambridgeshire Constabulary, and the council by emailing licensing@eastcambs.gov.uk. If it is an emergency, call 999.

Making the complaint

Please email us with what happened and when.

Include the driver’s details or the vehicle’s licence/registration number. We won’t be able to investigate without this information.

Also provide your name, address, email, and a phone number if you’d prefer to be contacted by phone.

After the complaint

All criminal offence reports by drivers are investigated. This may involve taking a statement from you, gathering evidence and interviewing the driver under caution. If there is enough evidence, the case may go to court and you may be asked to give evidence.

For misconduct cases, we may ask you to provide a witness statement and attend a disciplinary hearing.

If there are conflicting accounts and no independent witnesses, our powers may be limited and we may only remind the driver of the standards expected.

A record of the complaint will be kept on the driver’s record and considered if similar complaints are made. Repeated or similar complaints could lead to disciplinary action.

If we cannot take action, we may advise you to report the matter to the police or another enforcement agency. Disciplinary action may be delayed until their investigation is complete, and the driver’s licence may be suspended while this is ongoing.