Taxi safety advice

Anyone driving a licensed vehicle (up to 8 passengers) must be licensed as either a hackney carriage or private hire vehicle driver with Newport City Council if they intend to operate in this area. 

The council's licensing team has a duty to establish whether the driver is a 'fit and proper' person, taking into account the medical and any criminal history.

Licensed taxi drivers must ensure their vehicle is licensed to carry fare-paying passengers and it must have a valid hackney carriage or  private hire vehicle licence.

Before a licence is issued the vehicle will be tested by the council to make sure that it is roadworthy.

Hackney carriages

Hackney carriage vehicle ID

These can be hailed at the roadside or taxi rank and do not need to be pre-booked through an office. Hackney carriages:

  • are black
  • have disabled access
  • must have a valid tariff
  • must use a meter if the journey is inside the council boundary
  • must have a roof-mounted 'taxi' sign which is lit when plying for hire
  • must display the internal plate on the top left of the windscreen
  • have a hackney vehicle plate with a green border secured to the rear of the vehicle carrying the four digit vehicle number, the make and model of the vehicle and number of passengers it is authorised to carry

Private hire vehicles

Private Hire taxi vehicle ID

These must be pre-booked through an authorised office and may not ply for hire as they will not have the correct insurance. Private hire vehicles:

  • can be any colour, unless it could be confused as a hackney carriage vehicle, when it cannot be black
  • may have disabled access - contact the operator to discuss
  • must display the internal plate on the top left of the windscreen
  • have a private hire plate with a white border secured to the rear of the vehicle carrying the four-digit vehicle number, the make and model of the vehicle and number of passengers it is authorised to carry

How to complain 

If you wish to complain about a driver, vehicle or operator please email [email protected]

Please provide as much information as possible including:

  • what happened
  • the date and time of the incident
  • where it took place
  • the vehicle or driver concerned
  • the vehicle registration or plate number
  • a description of the vehicle or driver
  • tell us if you reported it to the police
  • give the best time to contact you