(1)There shall not, in the metropolitan police district or the City of London, be displayed on any private hire-car any sign or notice—
(a)which consists of or includes the word “taxi” or “cab”, whether in the singular or plural and whether alone or as part of another word; or
(b)which consists of the words “for hire”, or the form or wording of which is in any other way such as to suggest that the vehicle on which it is displayed is presently available to take up any passenger wishing to hire it, or would be so available if not already hired.
(2)No advertisement—
(a)indicating that motor vehicles can be hired on application to a specified address or telephone number, being the address or telephone number of premises in the metropolitan police district or the City of London; or
(b)on or near any such premises indicating that motor vehicles can be hired at those premises,
shall include the word “taxi” or “cab”, whether in the singular or plural and whether alone or as part of another word, unless the vehicles offered for hire are licensed cabs or the advertisement makes it clear that they are not.
(3)Any person who—
(a)drives a vehicle in respect of which subsection (1) of this section is contravened or causes or permits that subsection to be contravened in respect of any vehicle; or
(b)subject to subsection (4) of this section, issues, or causes to be issued, an advertisement which contravenes subsection (2) of this section,
shall be guilty of an offence and [F1liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding [F2level 4 on the standard scale]].
(4)Where a person is charged with an offence under paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of this section, it shall be a defence to prove that he is a person whose business it is to publish or arrange for the publication of advertisements and that he received the advertisement in question for publication in the ordinary course of business and did not know and had no reason to suspect that its publication would amount to an offence under that paragraph.
(5)In this section—
“advertisement” includes every form of advertising, whether in a publication or by the display of notices or by means of circulars or other documents or by an exhibition of photographs or a cinematograph film, or by way of sound broadcasting or television [F3or by inclusion in any programme service (within the meaning of the Broadcasting Act 1990) other than a sound or television broadcasting service], and references to the issue of an advertisement shall be construed accordingly;
“private hire-car” means a motor vehicle, other than a licensed cab or public service vehicle, which is used for the purpose of carrying passengers for hire or reward;
“licensed cab” means a vehicle licensed under section 6 of the M1Metropolitan Public Carriage Act 1869, section 37 of the M2Town Police Clauses Act 1847 or any similar local enactment; and
“public service vehicle” has the same meaning as in the M3Road Traffic Act 1960.
(6)The foregoing provisions of this section shall come into force on such date as the Secretary of State may by order made by statutory instrument appoint.
Textual Amendments
F1Words substituted by London Cab Act 1973 (c. 20), s. 1
F2Words substituted by virtue of Criminal Justice Act 1982 (c. 48, SIF 39:1), ss. 38, 46
F3Words inserted by virtue of Broadcasting Act 1990 (c. 42, SIF 96), s. 203(1), Sch. 20 para. 10
Modifications etc. (not altering text)
C115.7.1968 appointed for s. 4(1)-(5) by S.I. 1968/597
Marginal Citations
