We encourage you to be informed, prepared, safe and aware when travelling by taxi. The guidance on this page will support you to do that.
We are responsible for licensing taxis, private hire vehicles and their drivers in Cambridge. We make sure vehicles are safe, comfortable and properly insured and that drivers are ‘fit and proper’ to hold a licence.
Not all ‘taxis’ are the same. You can hail a passing hackney carriage, but you should only use a private hire vehicle if you have booked it in advance – it is illegal to hire one on the street and your journey will not be insured. Never use any vehicle that is not licensed.
The licence plate on the back of the vehicle will state how many passengers it is licensed to carry. Some saloon vehicles can carry a maximum of four passengers, although wheelchair-accessible vehicles can take more.
Our Taxicard scheme helps disabled people who live in Cambridge and have a low income to pay for journeys. You can use the vouchers in hackney carriages and private hire vehicles.
If you want to make a complaint or have any concerns about a taxi or driver, read complaints about taxi vehicles or drivers.
Hackney carriages – known as taxis
A taxi or ‘hackney carriage’ can be hired from a taxi rank or hailed in the street. Taxi fares (listed below) are charged on a meter. They are calculated using a combination of distance and time, as listed below.
Taxis in Cambridge have:
- door signs that say ‘Cambridge hackney carriage’
- a yellow ‘Cambridge licensed taxi’ sign on the roof
- a blue identification plate on the rear
Inside the vehicle there will be a meter and fare chart and the driver’s identification badge. The badge will show the driver’s name and their licence number and expiry date.
Taxi fares
Taxi fares are charged on a meter and calculated using a combination of distance and time.
The meter will only be started when you are safely in the vehicle and the journey is about to start.
- For the first 90 metres of your journey:
- 7am to 7pm: £3.80
- 7pm to 7am, Sundays and bank holidays: £5
- 7pm on Christmas Eve to 7am on Boxing Day: 6.20
- 7pm on New Year’s Eve to 7am on New Year’s Day: £6.20
- For each subsequent distance of up to 133 metres: 20p
- For each period of up to 29 seconds spent motionless or travelling slower than 16.79 km/h: 20p
- For each journey with five or more passengers: £3.50
- Bicycles not able to be put in the luggage compartment of the vehicle: £1.50
- Fuel surcharge (see note below): 40p
- If the vehicle is left unfit to continue working: £100
The extra fuel charge is applied when the national retail price of diesel, as published by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, exceeds 179.9p per litre. It is removed when they advise that it no longer exceeds that amount.
Taxi ranks
We provide taxi ranks where we have identified a demand, such as outside large establishments or at locations where the public or trade have suggested they would be beneficial.
Some ranks are open 24 hours a day, others only operate at specific times.
Taxi ranks can be used by hackney carriages – not by private hire vehicles.
Our taxi ranks are at the following locations:
- Bridge Street: 2 spaces, open 7pm to 6am
- Drummer Street: 9 spaces, open all day
- Market Hill: 5 spaces, open all day except during pedestrian zone hours
- Parkside: 5 spaces, open all day
- St Andrew’s Street, near Hobson Street: 7 spaces, open all day
- Sidney Street, near Sussex Street: 2 spaces, open 7pm to 7am except during pedestrian zone hours
- Sidney Street, near Petty Cury: 6 spaces, open all day
- St Andrew’s Street, near Park Terrace: 6 spaces, open 7pm to 7am
Private hire vehicles
A private hire vehicle can only be booked in advance. Trying to hire one on the street is illegal and you will not be insured for your journey.
Fares are set by the company’s meter or quoted in advance. Private hire operators can set their own fares. If they use a meter, they must clearly display the fare chart in the vehicle.
Private hire vehicles in Cambridge have:
- door signs that say ‘Private hire – pre-booked only’
- green identification plates on the front and rear
Drivers must wear an identification badge showing their name and their licence number and expiry date.
Some private hire vehicles that operate in the city are licensed by South Cambridgeshire District Council. These vehicles have yellow plates. If you have any questions or concerns about these vehicles, contact South Cambridgeshire District Council.
Taxi and private hire drivers
Taxi and private hire drivers are fully vetted to ensure that they are ‘fit and proper’ to hold a licence. This includes the completion of an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
Drivers must wear or display their identification badge, which details their name, licence number and the expiry date of their driver licence.
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. Saloon vehicles cannot carry a wheelchair user in their wheelchair, but they can carry passengers with a wide range of assistance needs and wheelchair users who are able to transfer independently.
Ask when hailing or booking the vehicle – the driver or operator will try to arrange any special access requirements you might 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
Exemptions
In some circumstances a driver might be unable to fulfil these duties. This might be for medical reasons or because their physical condition makes it unreasonably difficult for them to do so.
We can grant an exemption from the requirements to assist you with your wheelchair or to transport your assistance dog. The driver must display their exemption certificate in the vehicle.
List of wheelchair-accessible vehicles
The law requires that we maintain and publish a list of designated wheelchair-accessible vehicles.
