Keep your meter ticking and your customers moving

Cap your growing liability exposure by identifying your risks and using strategies to combat them.

Customers in your taxi or private hire vehicle are the lifeblood of your business, but constantly transporting passengers exposes you to liability risks every single day. Add the possibility of road traffic accidents, and the risks involved with your job compound exponentially.

What are the risks?

The most obvious risk for public and private hire drivers is road traffic accidents—you are on the road every day for work, striving to drop off your passengers as quickly as possible. While you may be fully aware of the risks on the road, which are typically covered under a motor policy, some drivers are unaware of their public liability risks off the road.

Public liability risks can be as damaging to your business as road traffic risks, and some might also wrongly assume that their motor policy covers all their liability. But, often, it is the case that a public liability policy is necessary to ensure that there are no gaps in cover.

A significant portion of your risk stems from helping passengers outside your vehicle. We have highlighted a few examples of the risks you face, as follows:

• Damaging property when carrying it - A small slip or trip while helping with luggage belonging to your customer could cause you to accidentally drop and damage property, for which you could be held liable.
• Causing passengers to fall - Anytime passengers need help getting into and out of your vehicle, you could be held liable for any injury or damage that befalls them.
• Damaging property in customers’ homes - Going inside customers’ homes to collect your fare or assist with luggage exposes you to the possibility of damaging their property.
• Injuring visitors on your business premises - If your business has premises where customers wait for their car to arrive, the business may be liable for any injuries or damage the visitors sustain.

As a taxi driver, you face a steady stream of customers and hazards on a daily basis, so securing a comprehensive insurance policy is the most effective way to slow the barrage of hazards while keeping your meter ticking and your flow of customers moving.