Taxis

About Ply for Hire Cars (taxis)

All Ply for Hire taxis must display a large white plate on the rear of the vehicle which indicates the District(s) which that taxi is licensed to serve; the number of passengers that the vehicle is licensed to carry; the vehicle registration number; and the make and model of the vehicle. An example of a taxi plate is shown:

The taxi must also display an Operator Disc, which is a small white disc, adjacent to the taxi plate, which indicates the licence expiry date, and the vehicle's operator licence number, i.e. in the example shown below, the operator's licence number is 1, and the Disc expiry date is 31/03/2009.

• Douglas and East - includes Douglas, Onchan and Laxey (Green)
• Northwest - includes Peel and Ramsey (Yellow)
• South - includes Castletown, Port Erin and Port St Mary (Red)
• Malew - includes Ronaldsway Airport (Blue)

The District(s) that a taxi is licensed to serve is clearly displayed and colour coded on the taxi plate.

Taxis must have a fare-meter fitted in the vehicle, together with an approved fare sheet displayed inside the vehicle.

A Ply for Hire taxi fare cannot be more than the maximum fare displayed on the fare-meter, but the driver may choose to charge less.

Ply for Hire taxis can be hailed in the street or at taxi ranks, when the fare-meter must be used to calculate and show the maximum fare. A discounted fare may be negotiated before the start of the journey, but it must not exceed the amount displayed on the fare-meter.

Ply for Hire taxis may also carry out pre-booked Private Hire work, when the fare must be agreed between the hirer and the operator/driver of the taxi in advance of the journey. The fare-meter may be used to calculate the fare in such circumstances, but such an arrangement must be agreed in advance of the journey.