Special door signs for licensed taxis

The new self-adhesive signs will be displayed on the front doors of all licensed hackney carriages operating in the district.

Craven District Council is behind the move which it hopes will increase public safety and reduce the risk of people getting into an unlicensed, and therefore uninsured, vehicle.

Councillor Paul Whitaker, chair of Craven District Council Licensing Committee, said: "Unlicensed vehicles and drivers put lives at risk. By getting into a hackney carriage in Craven which is clearly displaying the new licence signs, a customer can rest assured that the vehicle and driver have gone though all the right checks and is insured."

The new signs – which bear the council logo, the words "hackney carriage" and the licence number – will be issued to all proprietors by the end of this month.

The Taxi Liaison Group agreed to recommend the introduction of the door signage for hackney carriage vehicles, which was approved by Craven District Council's Licensing Committee.

Private Hire vehicles will not be displaying the signs.