Private hire taxi safety advice

Information for private hire taxi drivers, how to stay safe and deal with incidents.

On this page:

Dealing with bookings

Cash handling

Physical Barriers and CCTV

What you should always have with you

How your control room can help you

How to stay safe

What to do if you are attacked

What to do if you are verbally abused

Hate crime

What to do after an incident

Contacting Police Scotland

Dealing with bookings

Here are some tips to dealing with bookings.

Your controller should have all the passenger’s contact details for the booking. They should have the home address and telephone number if known.

Controllers should keep a list of locations that have been known for violence and they should avoid taking bookings from them.

You should be clear where you are taking the passenger and, if possible, what the fare will be before you set off. This can prevent disputes later in the journey.

If accepting a long distance booking, controllers and/or the driver, should be clear if the driver is going to ask for payment up-front. Again, this may prevent disputes later on.

If the passenger changes the journey that they booked let them know what the new fare will be. This will reduce the risk of a dispute later which can lessen the risk of violence.

Let the controller know of any change to the booking.

Only ever pick up bookings arranged and logged through your control room.

Payments / Cash handling

Here are some tips about holding money in your taxi.

Accepting card payments is a good way to minimise the amount of cash you hold. Card readers aren't too expensive and use a mobile phone app to manage payments

If you can, drop cash off during your shift. This will mean you are carrying as little in your car as you can.

If you can’t, keep your cash hidden from view in a secure box. Don’t place money in it until your passenger has left your vehicle and you have locked all doors.

Keep a small float which can be used to give change to customers.

Physical barriers and CCTV

Here are some security tips to consider for your taxi.

Some drivers fit their car with a screen to protect them. Screens are made from materials that can withstand a knife attack or hard body impact. They can be fitted and taken out easily
Having CCTV cameras reduces the number of threats and violence against drivers. Signs in the vehicle can highlight CCTV to passengers
Cameras can be bought or rented. They can be useful when there is a dispute with a passenger. It is not just your word against theirs
A convex mirror can give you full view of the rear of your car. It will help you to see what a passenger directly behind you is doing.

What you should always have with you

Here are some things you should always have on you.

A spare key, in case one is lost or stolen during an incident - keep this on you
A mobile phone with charge and credit
A note pad and pen to record any incidents
An emergency card with your name, date of birth, blood group, allergies and a contact number for emergencies
A statement explaining that it is against the law for you to take passengers other than those who have pre-booked
An explanation of the fare structure and boundary charges.

An explanation of the fare means you can explain it to passengers who may feel that you are over-charging them. This can then de-escalate a dispute.

How your control room can help you

There a number of ways the control room can help you.

You will need them to get help to you if you are in trouble
Have a code word that you can use if a passenger is threatening
A code word will you to call for help without making them suspicious
Some control rooms have GPS and can track your vehicle
Some drivers have a silent button which they can activate in an emergency - this will flag up the vehicle on the controller’s screen.

How to stay safe

Working at night carries the most risk of violence. This is especially true as many passengers will have been drinking. Make sure you are not tired – you need to be alert at all times.

Trust your instinct – you have the right to refuse a passenger.

Only open the windows enough to speak to people without them being able to reach in.

Only let them sit in the front of the car if you are comfortable.

Communication with the passenger is important - be polite and pleasant.

Use your radio or other communication device to tell your controller that you have started your journey. This will mean that the passenger will know you are in contact with base.

Make eye contact with the passenger when they get in the car. This helps to create a relationship with the passenger. It also gives them the message that you could identify them

Explain the route you plan to take if you are going a long way round (for example in order to avoid road works). This will prevent a later dispute over the fare.

If you feel threatened

Try to stay calm. Take slow, deep breaths – this may help to lessen your anxiety
Be aware of your own actions and how they may be seen
If you can, drive to a brightly lit, busy place as these are often covered by CCTV
If you have a screen, you are likely to be safer staying in your cab than getting out
Do not run after a passenger who owes you fare - your safety is more important than the money.

What to do if you are attacked

Some tips if you are attacked.

Do not try to fight back - it is most likely to make the violence worse for you
Use your horn and lights to attract attention
Contact your control room or call 999 to get help
Gather as much information about the person as you can (e.g. their clothes, accent)
Your safety comes first. Hand over cash if demanded under duress.

What to do if you are verbally abused

Working with the public, you can be on the wrong end of verbal abuse. All verbal abuse should be reported to your control room.

Report it to the police if the abuse is threatening, grossly offensive or you are a victim due to your:

Race
Religion
Sexual Orientation
Transgender Identity
Disability.

Hate crime

Hate crime is where someone is a victim of any crime due to prejudice towards their Race, Religion, Sexual Orientation, Transgender Identity or Disability.

Hate Crime is unacceptable and is taken very seriously by Police Scotland.

These incidents should be reported to the police at the earliest opportunity. You can contact the police directly, via our online Hate Crime form or via one of our 3rd Party Reporting Centres.

Details can be found on the Third party reporting centre page.

What to do after an incident

Some tips for what to do after an incident has happened.

Write down everything about the incident.
Write down a description of the passenger, what they said and did
Report all violent incidents to the police
Be prepared to make a witness statement
It may take time, but it may prevent further violence in the future
You may be able to recover the costs of loses and damages through the small claims system or through insurance or a compensation order via court proceedings.

Contacting Police Scotland

In an emergency you should always dial 999 if:

There is a risk of personal injury or loss of life
A crime is in progress
Someone suspected of a crime is nearby.

Deaf, deafened, hard of hearing or speech-impaired callers using a Textphone (minicom) should dial 18000 in an emergency.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing and speech-impaired, you can register with emergency SMS text service.

The emergency SMS service lets people in the UK send an SMS text message to the UK 999 service where it will be passed to the Police, Ambulance, Fire & Rescue, or Coastguard.