A booked private hire car is the most accountable way to travel by road. Every journey exists as a record held by a licensed operator, the driver is licensed by a named council and enhanced DBS checked, and the car carries a licence plate issued by that same council. None of that is true of a car flagged down in the street.
This page explains what that accountability actually consists of, what to check before you get in, and how we handle bookings for passengers travelling alone.
A private hire vehicle cannot legally be hailed. Every journey must be pre-booked through a licensed operator, and that requirement is the whole point: the booking creates a record.
When you book with us, the office knows who is driving, which car, where you were collected and where you are going. If anything about a journey needs to be looked into afterwards, that information exists and can be found. A car you waved at in the street has no such trail, and neither does a driver who turns up without a booking.
It is also why an unbooked car offering you a lift outside a station or a venue is not a minicab, whatever it says in the window. If there is no booking, there is no operator behind it.
Four quick checks, and none of them takes more than a few seconds.
Let the driver say it rather than confirming it for them. “Who are you here for?” is a better question than “are you here for me?” If the booking is ours, they will have your name and the destination you gave us.
Make, colour and registration. If you want those details in advance, ask for them when you book and the office will pass them on.
A licensed private hire vehicle carries a plate issued by the council that licensed it, usually at the rear and sometimes at the front as well. It names the issuing authority. Ours are issued by the authorities we are licensed with — Epsom and Ewell, Reigate and Banstead, Mole Valley, Elmbridge, Guildford, Waverley, and Transport for London.
Licensed drivers carry a driver badge issued by the same council. You are entitled to see it, and no reasonable driver minds being asked.
The checks behind that badge are more thorough than most passengers realise. To be licensed, a private hire driver must pass an enhanced DBS check including the children’s and adults’ barred-list checks, meet the DVLA Group 2 standard of medical fitness — the same standard as lorry and bus drivers — and, in our head-office authority of Epsom and Ewell, complete an approved child safeguarding course before a licence is granted.
Drivers are also expected to stay checked rather than checked once, through the DBS Update Service. If you would like the detail, our guide to becoming a taxi driver in the UK sets out exactly what two neighbouring Surrey councils require.
We take payment when the booking is made — by phone on 01372 747 747 or through the online booking form — and there is no card terminal in the car. For a passenger travelling alone, that removes two things people would rather avoid: carrying cash, and a payment conversation at the destination in the dark.
Household and corporate accounts are invoiced monthly, which removes the payment moment altogether. Our page on how taxi payments work covers all three options.
This is one of the most common calls we take: a parent booking for a daughter at university, an adult child booking for an elderly parent, a friend sending someone home at the end of an evening. You can pay when you book, give us the pick-up details, and the passenger travels without needing to handle anything.
Tell us if the passenger is travelling alone and where they are being dropped. A driver who knows to wait until a front door closes will wait.
Booked in advance, a car is at the door at the time you chose rather than at the time you manage to find one. That is the practical difference on a late journey, and it matters more than any other single thing on this page.
We have female drivers, and you are welcome to ask for one when you book. It depends on who is working at the time, so it is not something we can guarantee — particularly at short notice or in the small hours — but it is a normal request and the office will tell you straight away whether it can be met.
Advance and regular bookings are much easier to match than a car needed in twenty minutes. If it matters to you on a recurring journey — a weekly appointment, a school run, a late shift — say so when you set the booking up rather than each time you travel.
Regular passengers often find a driver they are comfortable with, particularly on a weekly or school-run journey. Mention the name when you book and the office will tell you whether that driver is working and can take the job. Regular bookings are easier to match this way than one-off journeys at short notice.
If you are travelling with a wheelchair, a walking frame or an assistance dog, say so when you book so the right vehicle is sent and the driver knows what help is needed. Our wheelchair-accessible service covers ramp-equipped vehicles, and the driver secures the chair before setting off.
Parents ask us about this constantly, and the answer is more nuanced than a simple age limit. There is no statutory minimum age for a child to travel unaccompanied in a licensed vehicle, but there are safeguarding expectations on the operator and the driver, and there are rules about car seats. Our guide to how old a child has to be to take a taxi alone sets out what the law says and what we do in practice.
We are a licensed private hire operator based at the Epsom Clock Tower, with twelve offices across Surrey and south-west London and operator licences held with seven authorities. Every journey is pre-booked, every price is agreed before you travel, and every driver is licensed and enhanced DBS checked.
Call 01372 747 747 or book online. If there is anything about a journey you would like handled a particular way, tell the office when you book — that is what the booking is for. You can read more about the company on our about page and about our drivers on the our drivers page.
A pre-booked private hire journey is the most accountable option on the road: the operator holds a record of who drove, which car, and where you travelled. Licensed drivers have passed an enhanced DBS check including the barred-list checks and a DVLA Group 2 medical. The risk to avoid is an unbooked car offering a lift in the street, which has no operator and no record behind it.
Four checks. Let the driver tell you who they are collecting rather than confirming it yourself; check the make, colour and registration against what you were given; look for the council licence plate on the vehicle; and ask to see the driver’s badge. Licensed drivers expect all four.
Yes — ask for them when you book and the office will pass them on. Many passengers travelling alone do exactly this and send the details to a friend.
No. We take payment when the booking is made, by phone or online, and there is no card terminal in the car. Household and corporate accounts are invoiced monthly instead.
Yes, and it is one of the most common bookings we take. You pay when you book and give us the pick-up details; the passenger travels without needing to handle anything.
Yes, and on a late drop-off most drivers do it without being asked. Mention it when you book if you would like it noted on the journey.
Mention the name when you book and the office will tell you whether that driver is working and able to take the job. Regular bookings are easier to match than one-off journeys at short notice.
A taxi can be hailed in the street and runs on a meter. A minicab — a private hire vehicle — cannot legally be hailed; it must be booked through a licensed operator, which is what creates the record of the journey. A car offering an unbooked lift is neither.
Yes. We have female drivers and you can ask for one when you book. It depends on who is working at the time, so it cannot be guaranteed, especially at short notice, but the office will tell you straight away whether the request can be met. Advance and regular bookings are much easier to match.
Yes. There is no statutory minimum age for unaccompanied travel in a licensed vehicle, but safeguarding expectations apply to the operator and the driver, and car seat rules apply to younger children. Tell us the passenger’s age and the drop-off details when you book.
Yes. Booked in advance, the car is there at the time you chose, including the return leg of an evening out. Booking both legs at once is the single most useful thing you can do for a late journey.
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