Taxi insurance
Public Hire Insurance
cover for hackney carriage work, where the fare can come from a rank, a hail or a phone
Hire and reward cover for a licensed hackney carriage driver. It covers rank work, street hails and pre-booked journeys, with passenger liability throughout and rating built around the area worked.
- Rank, hail and booked work
- Accessible vehicles common
- Night and city work
- FCA authorised and regulated
Quick answerPublic hire, or hackney, is the licence that allows a driver to be hailed in the street and to work from a rank as well as take bookings. That freedom is worth money and it changes the risk: more short urban journeys, more night work and more unknown passengers. Tell us the licence and the area, and specialist UK brokers can come back with quotes.
Booked work only? Our private hire insurance page covers the other licence.
At a glance
Six Things About Rank and Hail Work
Six things that shape a public hire policy.
- You can be hailed
- Which private hire drivers cannot
- Ranks are part of the job
- Waiting, then short journeys
- Passengers are unknown
- Every fare is a stranger
- Night work is common
- And rated accordingly
- Accessibility is often required
- Councils set vehicle standards
- The licence is area based
- Working outside it raises questions
The basics
What Being Hailable Changes About the Risk
The work reaches you three ways rather than one, and the journeys tend to be shorter, more urban and more often at night. Insurers price that pattern rather than the badge itself.
Rank and hail work
The defining permission.
Passenger liability
Strangers, every journey.
Hire and reward use
The underlying use class.
Night and weekend hours
A real part of the rating.
Vehicle standards
Set by the licensing authority.
Licensing area
Where the badge applies.
How it works
Four Steps to Getting Public Hire Quoted
Four questions cover most of it: the vehicle, the work, the drivers and the cover level. The licensing details do more to the price than the make of car.
Describe the vehicle
Make, age and how it is plated.
Describe the work
Rank work, street hails, bookings, night work or contract runs.
Add the drivers
Everyone who will be at the wheel.
Read the terms
Not just the premium at the bottom.
What it covers
The Sections Behind a Flagged-Down Fare
The usual sections with passenger liability throughout. What is worth checking is how the policy handles damage caused by passengers, which is a live issue on night work.
| Section | Where it sits | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Third-party cover | The base of any policy | Injury and damage to other people |
| Fire and theft of the vehicle | Middle level upwards | Rated on where it is kept |
| Own damage | Comprehensive | Including damage caused by passengers |
| Passenger injury | Carried throughout | Anyone in the vehicle |
| Public liability | Usually added | Helping with luggage and at the kerb |
| Breakdown and recovery | Optional | With passengers on board, it matters |
| Loss of licence | A separate arrangement | Not part of the motor policy |
Damage caused by passengers is worth asking about. Soiling and interior damage on late-night fares is a recurring cost in this trade, and whether the policy responds, and with what excess, varies.
What it leaves out
The Fares That Fall Outside the Plate
None of this is fine print for its own sake. These are the gaps that catch drivers out, and most can be closed by declaring something at the quote.
Operating without a current licence
The badge, the plate and the operator side.
Journeys outside the declared use
Say if the vehicle is used privately.
Mechanical and electrical failure
Unless caused by an insured event.
Lost earnings
A separate section, where offered.
Drivers outside the terms
Age and experience conditions apply.
Working outside the licensed area
Beyond where the badge and plate apply.
Where the work comes from
Ranks, Hails and the Bookings Alongside
A hackney driver can take work three ways, and the balance between them describes the risk better than the licence alone.
Rank work
Stations, airports and town centres.
Street hails
Flagged down in traffic.
Pre-booked journeys
Hackney drivers can take these too.
Night economy work
Late hours, short fares.
Wheelchair accessible work
Often a licensing requirement.
Contract and school runs
Regular daytime income.
Driving a purpose-built cab? See black cab insurance.
Who it suits
Who Holds a Hackney Licence
Hackney licences are harder to obtain in many areas and often limited in number, so the drivers holding them tend to be long established.
Black cab drivers
Purpose-built vehicles.
Town and city hackney drivers
Saloon hackneys on ranks.
Night economy drivers
Weekend and late work.
Accessible vehicle drivers
Wheelchair accessible taxis.
Dual-licensed drivers
Holding both licence types.
Plate owners
Renting the plate to drivers.
Running plates across several vehicles? See public hire fleet insurance.
Hackney or private hire
Being Hailable vs Waiting for the Booking
The licences permit different things, and the difference shapes the working day rather than just the paperwork.
| Hackney | Private hire | |
|---|---|---|
| How work arrives | Rank, hail or booking | Booking only |
| Vehicle standards | Often stricter | Usually lighter |
| Typical journey | Shorter, urban | Longer, planned |
| Licence availability | Sometimes limited | Generally open |
Weighing the two up? Our comparison guide sets them side by side.
Cost
Why the Town You Work Decides So Much
The area, the hours worked, the driver, the vehicle and the claims record. We do not print average premiums.
Why the area does so much
Rank and hail work is concentrated where people are, so a hackney policy is priced around a specific town or city rather than a general region.
Why night hours are rated
Late work brings more incidents, more passenger trouble and more interior damage, so the share of the week spent working nights is a question that gets asked directly.
What the quote is rated on
The main factors
- Area workedThe licensing districtBase
- HoursDay, night or mixedRate
- DriverAge, badge years and recordRate
- VehicleSaloon, accessible or purpose-builtRate
- Claims recordRecent yearsAdjust
Fit a camera
It helps with disputed fares.
Park securely overnight
Plated vehicles are identifiable.
Keep the record clean
Night work makes it harder.
The details
Four Things a Hackney Driver Should Confirm
Conditions are where taxi claims are won and lost. The four below come up repeatedly.
Hold a current badge and plate
Both are checked after a claim.
Keep the driver list accurate
Shift work changes it often.
Report convictions promptly
Including anything from the licensing authority.
Work within the licensed district
Cross-border work raises questions.
Quote checklist
Gather This Before Asking for a Price
None of it is hard to find. Having it to hand is the difference between a quick quote and a drawn-out one.
The vehicle and its plate
Make, age, seats and conversion.
The licence and the authority
Rank work, street hails, bookings, night work or contracts.
Every driver
Including relief and weekend cover.
Where it sleeps
A driveway, a garage, a street or a rank-side arrangement.
Level of cover
And any add-ons you rely on.
Claims history
Declared in full.
Comparing
Two Quotes, Side by Side on Rank Work
Set two quotes side by side and work through this. The differences will be here rather than in the premium.
Sections included
- Level of cover on the vehicle
- Passenger liability
- Loss of earnings, if offered
The practical terms
- How quickly a replacement arrives
- Whether repairs use an approved network
- Excess on glass and on the main cover
On this cover specifically
- Passenger damage and soiling
- Night work accepted
- Accessible vehicle covered
Ask what happens after a passenger soils the car. It is a routine cost on night work. Unfamiliar terms are explained in our plain English jargon guide.
Cutting costs
Paying Less on the Plate Next Year
The levers are cameras, clean years, secure parking and the excess. We publish no savings figures.
Install a camera
It deters and it evidences.
Build clean years
They are worth real money.
Secure the vehicle overnight
A plate marks it out.
Set the excess deliberately
Small claims cost years.
Keep the licence unbroken
Gaps are noticed.
Compare every renewal
Hackney appetite varies by area.
Glossary
Hackney Work in Plain English
The words that come up when the fare can flag you down.
- Hire and reward
- Carrying passengers for payment, the reason a taxi policy exists.
- Pre-booked only
- The restriction on private hire work.
- Rank and hail
- What a hackney licence permits and private hire does not.
- Badge holder
- A driver licensed by the council to carry passengers.
- Plated vehicle
- A vehicle licensed and inspected by the council.
- Passenger liability limit
- The most the policy pays for injury to those carried.
- Downtime cover
- Payment while the vehicle cannot be worked.
- Approved repairer
- A network the insurer uses, often with a faster turnaround.
- Voluntary excess
- An amount you choose to carry to reduce the premium.
- Convictions
- Motoring and licensing matters, both of which are rated.
Why MyMoneyComparison.com
Why Hackney Drivers Compare Through MyMoneyComparison.com
MyMoneyComparison.com is an FCA-authorised UK comparison service that introduces taxi operators to specialist brokers. We do not sell insurance and we do not give advice: the broker you choose arranges the policy. Using us is free.
One form, one business
Describe the business once, instead of repeating yourself to each broker.
Advice given
We are an introducer, not a broker. We do not sell policies and we do not recommend one insurer or product over another. Read our editorial policy.
Authorised and regulated
MyMoneyComparison.com Ltd appears on the FCA register under FRN 916241.
Incorporated
A UK company since 2013. FCA authorisation is separate and later; the register carries its date.
FAQs
Public Hire Insurance FAQs
Answers on ranks, street hails, wheelchair access and working across boundaries.
Can I take pre-booked work on a hackney licence?
Yes. A hackney licence is the wider of the two: you can be hailed, use ranks and also take bookings. A private hire licence permits the last of those only.
Am I covered working outside my licensing area?
Dropping off outside it is normal; working there is a different matter. Cross-border work raises both licensing and cover questions, so tell the insurer if you do it regularly.
Is damage caused by passengers covered?
Sometimes, and it is worth asking specifically. Soiling and interior damage are routine costs on night work, and policies differ on whether they respond and at what excess.
Do I need a wheelchair accessible vehicle?
That depends on the licensing authority rather than the insurer. Where one is required, the conversion forms part of the vehicle value and should be declared.
Is night work more expensive to insure?
Generally, because incidents cluster in the late hours. It is better to declare it than to describe the work as daytime and have the pattern emerge from a claim.
Can I rent my plate to another driver?
Where the council permits it, though the insurance has to reflect who is actually driving. A plate worked in shifts needs every driver on the policy.
Does a camera reduce the premium?
It can help a little, and it helps considerably more with disputed claims and passenger incidents where it is your word against theirs. Insurers increasingly expect one on regular night work rather than treating it as an extra.
Are hackney licences limited in number?
In some areas they are, which is why they change hands at a value. That is a licensing matter rather than an insurance one, but it explains why hackney drivers tend to be long established.
Why will an ordinary policy not do?
Because it excludes hire and reward. The moment somebody pays for the journey the private policy stops responding, and that is true whether the fare came through an app or a rank.
Is private use included?
On a taxi policy it usually is, but it is a question worth asking. A policy written for work only leaves your own journeys uninsured, which is an easy thing to overlook.
What does passenger liability actually cover?
Injury to the people in your vehicle, including getting in and out. It runs through all levels of cover and it is the section most likely to see a serious claim.
Does a conviction have to be declared?
Yes, motoring and licensing both. Insurers rate them rather than refusing automatically, and specialist brokers deal with them daily, but finding one undeclared after a claim is a very different matter and can put the whole policy in question.
Is downtime covered?
Not as standard. Loss of earnings is an optional section and a replacement vehicle is another, and between them they decide whether a repair costs you a week of income or nothing.
Does the parking arrangement change the premium?
It is one of the main factors. A vehicle behind a gate, on a driveway or on a street will each be rated differently for the same driver and the same car.
Can more than one driver use the vehicle?
Yes, provided each of them is declared on the policy. Insurers expect shift arrangements in this trade and price for them, but everybody at the wheel has to be on the schedule before they drive rather than added afterwards.
Is airport work treated differently?
Sometimes, because it means longer journeys, motorway mileage and time spent waiting in feeder parks rather than working. Mention it rather than describing the work as local, since the journey pattern is what an insurer is pricing.
Ready when you are
Put the Hackney Plate to Brokers
Tell us the licence and where you work. Specialist UK brokers can then come back with quotes. Free to use, with no obligation to buy.
- Rank, hail and pre-booked work together
- Free to use, no obligation
- FCA authorised and regulated
Free to use · No obligation · UK brokers
About this page
This page explains UK public hire insurance: cover for hackney carriage drivers who can be hailed and use ranks, and what that freedom changes about the risk. It is general information rather than advice. Policies differ between insurers, so read your own documents and put the questions raised here to your insurer or broker.
How we approached this page
- Published UK taxi policy summaries
- Rank and hail work, accessibility requirements and licensing areas
- Financial Ombudsman material on motor insurance complaints
Legal & Regulatory Information:
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