Travel safely this festive period

Edition: November 2024

We want our residents and visitors to be as safe as possible whilst enjoying food, drink and great company in the District over the festive period.

The Sussex Safer Roads Partnership message is simple: drink or drive - but do not do both. If you plan to drink alcohol, plan to get a lift, get a taxi or take public transport. If you plan to drive, don’t drink alcohol.

At the Council we support that message. One way of making sure you get home safely is to use a licensed taxi or private hire vehicle.

Safe travel options

We have responsibility for licensing hackney carriages and private hire drivers, vehicles and operators within the District. As a Licensing Authority, we aim to ensure that the public have reasonable access to safe, comfortable, and properly insured services.

Hackney carriage vehicles can be found at designated ranks, or can be hailed in the street. They will have a roof sign with the word TAXI displayed. Hackney carriages must display a fare meter in the vehicle, the Council sets the fare rate for journeys within the District.

Private hire vehicles must be pre-booked through a private hire operator.

Look out for the licence

All hackney carriage and private hire vehicles have a licence plate attached to the rear of the vehicle and a smaller version in the windscreen which carries details of the expiry date, licence number and vehicle registration.

Stay safe

Check that your pre-booked private hire vehicle or taxi is licensed. Taxi drivers must wear their badge, and private hire drivers must wear their driver ID while working. When you book a private hire vehicle you can ask for the details of the vehicle and driver, and when they arrive make sure they match your booking.

Keep our roads safe - leave space

There have been three serious incidents recently, where drivers have hit our waste collection vehicles on the roads, resulting in life changing injuries for one crew member and considerable injury and stress to others.