Agenda item - Non Payment of Fares Notice

Report of the Director of Public Health (copy attached)

19.1    The Committee considered a report of the Director of Public Health seeking approval of the wording of the notice for use in Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles designed to deter non-payment of taxi fares.

19.2    The Hackney Carriage Officer explained that the suggested wording agreed by the Trade and Sussex Police was:

            “Before hiring this vehicle:

            - Please ensure you have the means to pay. Deliberate failure to make payments before leaving this vehicle is a Criminal Offence.”

19.3    The Hackney Carriage Officer, Martin Seymour explained that the trade had requested permission to use a notice to include Sussex Police and Council Logos in vehicles to help prevent the deliberate non-payment of fares by some customers and to raise awareness that non-payment was a criminal offence. The trade have been working with Sussex Police on the wording of a notice and were now requesting that the agreed wording was approved by Committee for use in Hackney Carriage and Private Hire vehicles.

19.4    RESOLVED – That the Committee approve the notice wording set out on Paragraph 3.4 of the report and above and use of the Council logo on any notice produced.