Accident while getting out of a Mini Cab...what are my rights?

[postggj]

It is called Hire and Reward Insurance

 

It is so expensive that i can guarantee that the majority of mini cab drivers will not have it, unlike the black cabs in London.

 

You need to go to the cab office and formally request a copy of this drivers insurance certificate, if they fail to comply, you will need a police officer to formally request a copy.

 

I do not wish to be blunt by the accident was the drivers responsibility, he is in charge of the vehicle, not you, He needed to make sure the road was clear before allowing you to vacate the vehicle

[postggj]

But what if the door was opened in agreement with the driver?

 

Should the driver not have checked his mirror before saying "all clear"

 

But you are entitled to a copy of his insurance certificate and make sure it has Hire and Reward on it

[postggj]

What about paying half the excess??

 

Will that be applicable??

 

Either way, why is the cab driver reluctant to notify his insurance company, i thought it was a legal requirement to notify an accident, whoever is at fault

 

Considering this chap is a mini cab driver as well

[postggj]

Why will the cab driver go through small claims??

 

If anybody does it then it will be the drivers insurance companies own claims management team

 

If you have this drivers insurance details, why do you not contact them and report the situation

 

Have you considered that the driver may have an insurance certificate, but has he been paying the premiums, that will explain the reluctance to use his own insurance company and wish to settle in cash

[postggj]

Legality to be using his vehicle to carry fare paying passengers for a start

[postggj]

The driver is reluctant to make a claim through his insuresrs, you have to ask why? That is why you pay insurance.

 

The claim needs to go through the mini cab drivers insurance, if any liability or excess is payable, the insurance company will tell the poster what those liabilities are

 

Cash in hand mentality raises questions

 

Say the poster pays cash for the damage, then the driver makes a claim through his insurance and denies settlement has already been made

 

If the driver has no insurance, he should not even be on the road so no liability is payable then

[postggj]

Agreed, you see why i think this smells of having no insurance, and wanting cash in hand

[postggj]

The cost of hire and reward insurance for the Taxi trade is totally unfordable to the average person, that is why a cab will be running 24 hours a day. private hire drivers find it difficult to make a living, its different in counties outside London where drivers are registered through the council and are plated.

 

London is dodge city where mini cab drivers are concerned as they are not vetted the same as outside London or black cab plated drivers

[postggj]

The only regulation i believe is that all private hire cabs in London have to have the Transport for London sticker on the back windscreen, that's it i believe, no vetting, no Hckney MOT, CRB checks etc, nothing

 

BLACK CABS ARE DIFFERENT AND ARE FULLY VETTED

Edited June 10, 2013 by squaddie

[postggj]

Thanks for posting that up migster

 

To be honest, i used these private mini cabs almost everyday (company account) I have never even seen a ID badge. I suppose most of the mini cab companies are big firms and drivers are now employees rather than self employed now. I would think the dispatch companies pay those fees which are in comparison with licensed taxi operators, min you, it has been a while since i was last in London

[postggj]

I must agree with this, if there is any third party claim, the insurance company will deal with that directly with any other parties to the accident

[postggj]

Will the insurance company not have their own department to recover uninsured losses

 

The last time i was hit from behind, i was out of pocket for nine months trying to get my excess back, my insurance company recommended a company who recovered my excess

[postggj]

I agree in what you are saying but it will be up to the insurance company to decide who is liable for what and apportion any sort of blame

 

I myself think the mini cab driver was uninsured, that is why he wants it settled in cash

[postggj]

If you have worked in the private hire trade in London then you will know the term i use "dodge city" for mini cab drivers is correct. After midnight on a Friday or Saturday evening you cannot move 50 feet in the west end without a mini cab unlicensed tout asking if you want a cab. London is the only place this happens. £40 a week insurance is still £2000 a year, add to that the hackney MOT, insurance, wear and tear, medical, Council ID badge, paying rent to the company if self employed, etc,etc, you can see why a lot of people slip under the radar and just "blag it"