Safer travel in Taxis
A survey was created as a part of Safer Streets Funding which gathered feedback on how safe residents of Swindon feel when they are out and about.
A high number of residents stated they did not feel safe traveling by taxi. This page was created to provide useful information on how to travel safely in Swindon taxis.
Taxis licensed by Swindon Borough Council have enforced requirements to support you and drivers
- Drivers undergo a criminal conviction check (DBS check)
- Drivers undergo safeguarding training and must complete a communication and knowledge test as part of the application process,
- Drivers must remain fit and proper to hold a license at all times
Private hire and Hackney carriage license plates
Private Hire
Hackney Carriage
Advice for taxi passengers
Every complaint about licensed drivers, vehicles and operators is taken very seriously and a thorough investigation will be carried out in each case. All complaints should be made in writing. You should include as much detail as possible (who, what, when, where, why) and include the driver’s badge number and/or vehicle plate number or registration number.
Swindon Borough Council are especially interested in knowing about unlicensed drivers working in the borough and are working with the local police to stop this from happening.
For more information and guidance on how to make a complaint please visit – Advice for taxi passengers | Swindon Borough Council
From April 28th , if a taxi or private hire driver loses their licence through revocation or suspension, that information will be available nationally upon request from any of the licensing authorities.
If the driver applies elsewhere, the new authority receiving the application will be able to request from the notifying authority the reasons why the driver lost their licence.
News
Uber explains why its taxis can still operate in Swindon without a License
Taxi operators and drivers require licences to trade for private hire and hackney carriages in the town.
The well-known private hire cab and food delivery firm did hold one of these in Swindon until 2018 – but did not renew it.
Despite this, it has frequently been possible to book an Uber to take passengers from somewhere in the town to another location.
Uber has responded to say that all of its drivers are licenced and it is operating within the rules.
A spokesperson for the council clarified that Uber does not have an operator’s licence within the Swindon borough, but there are some circumstances that an Uber could operate in the town.
“An operator in Swindon can ‘sub-contract’ work to an operator in another authority’s area – such as Uber, allowing them to pick up a booking in Swindon,” they said.
29th April 2024
Swindon taxi drivers set to undergo online safeguarding training
Taxi drivers in Swindon will soon be required to complete an online safeguarding training course as a condition of their licensing.
Swindon Borough Council’s head of regulatory services, Kate Bishop, proposed the change during a meeting with the authority’s licensing panel, stating that it was in line with government advice regarding the protection of vulnerable individuals.
Currently, the council provides one page of safeguarding guidance in the driver’s handbook, but it has now been deemed necessary to enforce compulsory training. The online course, priced at £36, will be mandatory for all new drivers and will be valid for the duration of their three-year licence. Upon licence renewal, drivers will need to complete the training again.
'Sian's Law' for cab driver safety checks to start after murder of Sian O'Callaghan
The family of murdered taxi passenger Sian O’Callaghan has won a change in the law to improve driver safety checks.
Sian O’Callaghan was killed by Swindon taxi driver Christopher Halliwell in March 2011. He later confessed to murdering Becky Godden-Edwards in 2003.
From April 28th , if a taxi or private hire driver loses their licence following a claim of sexual harassment, that information will be shared nationally among all licensing authorities.
If the driver applies elsewhere, the new authority will be able to see the reasons why they lost their licence.
‘It’s an incredibly vulnerable position to be in,’ said Elaine Pickford, Sian’s mother.”To be on your own, in a vehicle where the driver can lock you in, effectively take you wherever they want to take you, which is what happened to Sian. The industry should be as regulated as possible.”
Sian was on a night out in Swindon in March 2011, when she left a nightclub and started the short walk home.
She was picked up by taxi driver Christopher Halliwell and killed soon afterwards.
When he was arrested days later, Halliwell confessed to the 2003 murder of Becky Godden-Edwards. – ITV
