Stevenage CabWatch
Cabwatch came about from a suggestion by the council to the taxi and private hire trade that there should be an association to represent the proprietors and drivers in Stevenage with the aim of promoting a closer working relationship between them, Stevenage Borough Council and Herts Police. It was officially started around January 2007 with that view in mind.
Both CabWatch and all the drivers want passengers to feel safe and secure and want to provide a top class service.
If you have any feedback, good or bad, then please contact the Taxi licensing officer on 01438 242077, or use the feedback section of this website to let us know.
The Community Safety Partnership together with the stakeholders from the Leisure Park also pay towards the taxi marshal scheme which operates on the park at peak periods and helps to organise the structured and planned use of cabs so people can leave the park in an orderly and safe manner.
Stevenage has 100 hackney carriages and 156 private hire vehicles which are based, and operate in Stevenage.
There is a difference between these types of vehicles.
- A hackney carriage can be any type of vehicle able to carry up to eight passenger seats. It will have a sign mounted on the roof of the vehicle that has the word Taxi or Cab and maybe a telephone number. The sign will be illuminated during the hours of darkness – when the hackney carriage (taxi) is available for hire. There will also be a sign in the front nearside of the windscreen (near the VEL) that is also illuminated during the hours of darkness that has the words “For Hire” displayed when the vehicle is available for hire.
Potential customers can hire a hackney carriage in person at a hackney carriage rank (stand) or by flagging (waving) the vehicle down as it is being driven along any road. - A private hire vehicle can be any type of vehicle able to carry up to eight passengers. The vehicle will NOT have a roof sign but should have tow signs displayed on the front doors of the vehicle indicating the company the vehicle works for, a contact telephone number and wording “Pre Booking Only / Advance Bookings Only” or similar. This type of vehicle can only be hired by customers contacting the private hire operator – Ace Taxis, Gold Star Taxis or Stevenage Taxis – and making a booking for the use of the vehicle. It is then the operator who assigns a vehicle to the customer. If a customer were to book arrange the use of this type of vehicle directly with the driver then the likelihood is that, for that journey, the vehicle insurance would be invalidated and the driver would be committing an offence.
There are three established Private Hire companies in the town:
Stevenage Taxis
01438 357111
Ace Taxis
01438 317777
Gold Star Taxis
01438 727277
And a newly formed Taxi company called:
ABC Taxis
01438 424242
Many licensed cabs are now fitted with an onboard CCTV system which provides additional safety for both the driver and the passengers. The images can be used in Court as evidence in the event that an offence is committed.
If you are a lady and you want more information on keeping safe when coming home after a night out then check out the Suzie Lamplugh Trust Website, which offers a mass of practical advice.
The Community Safety Partnership will soon be issuing a “Safer Taxi” card which will have all the information you need on it and will be small enough to keep in a purse or wallet.
These will be available in the council's Customer Service Centre, the Police Station and at any of the local community centres.