The London Taxi Sharing Scheme Order 1987

• Citation: S.I. 1987/1535
• Sections: 19

Section 1

This Order may be cited as the London Taxi Sharing Scheme Order 1987 and shall come into force on 28th September 1987.

Section 2

The Secretary of State hereby makes the London Taxi Sharing Scheme as set out in the Annex to this Order.

Section 3

The Heathrow Taxi Sharing Scheme Order 1987 and the London (British Rail) Taxi Sharing Scheme Order 1987 are hereby revoked.

Section 1 Designation of authorised places and interpretation

(1) There is hereby designated as an authorised place every place at which a taxi may lawfully ply for hire.

(2) In this Scheme—

“authorised place” means any place designated in paragraph 1(1) from which taxis may be hired under the terms of the Scheme;

“exclusive service” means a service other than at separate fares;

“shared service” means a service at separate fares;

“taxi” means a vehicle licensed under section 6 of the Metropolitan Public Carriage Act 1869 ; and, except where otherwise stated, any reference to a numbered paragraph or Schedule is a reference to the paragraph or Schedule bearing that number in this Scheme.

Section 2 Application

(1) The requirements of this Scheme shall apply to taxis standing for hire or hired at separate fares under this Scheme for a journey from an authorised place.

(2) Any taxi may at the option of the holder of the licence for that vehicle be used for the carriage of passengers at separate fares under the terms of this Scheme.

(3) When a taxi is hired in accordance with this Scheme, the provisions of this Scheme applying to the journey for which it is hired shall apply to any part of that journey outside the London taxi area as they apply to any part within that area.

Section 3 Availability

A taxi shall be available for hire under this Scheme when it is standing at an authorised place and displaying a notice containing the words specified in paragraph 4.

Section 4 Signs on vehicles

There shall be displayed on any taxi standing for hire under this Scheme (in addition to any other sign, mark or notice which is required to be displayed on the taxi) a notice containing the words “Shared Taxi”.

Section 5 Fares

(1) The taxi meter shall be set in motion only when the taxi leaves the authorised place and shall display the fare for an exclusive service payable under paragraphs 40 and 41(2) of the London Cab Order 1934 ;

(2) The maximum amount payable by a passenger sharing a service shall be the aggregate of:—

(a) the amount calculated in accordance with the conversion table set out in Schedule 1 as at the time when the passenger is set down and according to the number of passengers who arranged the shared service; and

(b) any charge for luggage payable under paragraph 41(1) of the London Cab Order 1934

(3) No fare shall be charged for any child under the age of two years, and no such child shall be counted when calculating the number of people sharing the vehicle.

(4) For the purpose of computing fares, each child over the age of two years but under the age of ten years shall be charged at half fare and when calculating the number of people sharing the vehicle—

(a) if an even number of children are being carried, one half of that number shall be counted; and

(b) if an odd number of such children are being carried, one half of the even number immediately following that odd number shall be counted.

Section 6 Fare tables

(1) The driver of a taxi to which this Scheme applies shall at all times carry in his taxi—

(a) a copy of the conversion table set out in Schedule 1; and

(b) a copy of the fare table set out in Schedule 2.

(2) The driver shall produce the tables specified in paragraph 6(1) to any passenger who asks to see them or either of them.

Section 7 Obligatory hirings

The driver of a taxi available for hire under this Scheme who—

(a) is not waiting with a person seeking a shared service for another person to offer to share the taxi; and

(b) would, apart from the Licensed Taxis (Hiring at Separate Fares) (London) Order 1986 , be required to accept the hiring,

shall not without reasonable excuse refuse a hiring to two or more persons seeking a shared service to the same destination; but he may, with the agreement of those persons, wait for a reasonable period for further passengers to share the hiring.

Section 8 Arrangements for a shared service

(1) If a person seeks to hire for a shared service a taxi available for hire under this Scheme and the driver is unable to find at least one other person to share the hiring within a reasonable time, then no fare or other charge shall be payable and the driver shall be free to seek an alternative hiring provided that the driver and the first mentioned person may continue to wait for another person to offer to share the taxi for so long as they both agree to do so.

(2) The driver of a taxi available for hire under this Scheme may refuse to accept as a passenger for a shared service any person on the grounds that his intended destination could not be reached without an excessive or unreasonable addition to the length or duration of the journey of any passenger previously accepted for a journey, but shall not refuse to carry a person already accepted by him as a passenger because his destination is not on such grounds compatible with that of a person who subsequently seeks a shared service.

(3) Before the commencement of any journey from the authorised place by a taxi for the purpose of a shared service, any person may (notwithstanding any earlier agreement) decide not to be carried as a passenger and no fare or other charge shall be payable by that person.

Section 9 Cessation of availability

If—

(a) a person at any time seeks to hire for an exclusive service a taxi available for hire under this Scheme;

(b) the driver is not waiting with a person seeking a shared service for another person to offer to share the taxi; and

(c) the driver either—

(i) would, apart from the Licensed Taxis (Hiring at Separate Fares) (London) Order 1986, be required to accept the hiring; or

(ii) accepts the hiring although not required to do so,

then that taxi shall thereupon cease to be available for hire under this Scheme until the expiry of that hiring.

Section 10 Luggage

The driver shall not refuse to carry in his taxi the luggage of a passenger if the luggage can be accommodated safely within the luggage compartment of the taxi with the luggage of other passengers already accepted by him.

Section 11 Route to be followed

The route taken by the taxi and the order in which passengers are set down shall be determined by the driver, but he shall not unreasonably prolong the journey of any passenger.

Section 1 Total fare

At any time when the taxi is shared the fare payable by each passenger shall be the sum of the basic fare specified in paragraph 2 of this Table and the permitted luggage charge.

Section 2 Basic fare

The basic fare shall be calculated by applying the conversion table carried by the driver to the sum displayed on the meter when the passenger leaves the taxi.

Section 3 Sum displayed on the meter

The meter will be started when the taxi leaves the authorised place and will operate at the normal rate for an exclusive service. It may include any additional charges that would apply to an exclusive service, with the exception of the charges for additional passengers and for luggage.

Section 4 Number sharing

The basic fare is calculated from the sum displayed on the meter according to the number of passengers sharing the taxi when it leaves the authorised place.

Section 5 Child fares

Children under the age of 2 years are carried free, and those aged between 2 and 10 years will be charged half fare. For the purpose of calculating the number of people sharing the taxi, children under the age of 2 years are not counted and, for children aged between 2 and 10 years—

(a) 1 or 2 children count as 1 person;

(b) 3 or 4 children count as 2 persons; and

(c) 5 or 6 children count as 3 persons.