It's simple. Customers call your TaxiCall number which is usually a memorable local number, like 303030 or 888111. The TaxiCall system puts the call through to the right driver in your circuit. This can either be the one who has waited longest for a call, or the nearest driver.

Logging in and out of the system is done from your mobile, takes just a second or two, and it's free. When you sign up, we give you two numbers to call: one to log in, and one to log out. When you call these numbers, the TaxiCall system recognises your number and logs you in or out, but it doesn't answer the call so there is no charge on your mobile bill.

If you are logged in, the system will put customer calls through to your phone. You will see the customer's number displayed, and speak directly to the customer when you answer.

If for some reason you can't take the call you just hang up, and the system will try the next driver instead. The customer will just hear ringing while this happens. The Call Log will show Driver Declined Call.

If you don't answer a TaxiCall within a few rings (you can adjust how long) then the system will automatically move on to try the next driver instead. The Call Log will show Driver Did Not Answer.

With the optional Repeat Call feature, customers that call again from the same number within a specified period (normally 30 or 60 minutes from the original call) are put straight through to the same driver that they talked to before. Instead of the normal announcement, you hear the message: “Repeat Call” and are connected to the customer immediately.
For regular callers, such as clubs and restaurants who might genuinely want to book several taxis in quick succession, you can selectively turn off the Repeat Call option.

If you're using Tracker for TaxiCall, you'll need a smart phone. Otherwise, all you need is a mobile phone on which to receive customer calls. Some drivers choose to buy a dedicated Pay As You Talk phone to keep in their taxi specifically for TaxiCall, but you don't have to. Of course, if you expect to take calls while driving then the law requires that you use hands-free equipment.

When a group or association of drivers signs up to TaxiCall, we give the organiser an account number and a PIN for logging in to our secure Web pages, where they can check account status, view a history of all the calls received, add new drivers, and update drivers' mobile numbers. The organiser has complete control over your TaxiCall circuit.

Each TaxiCall group has complete control of its own membership. You can decide who you want to have on your circuit, and no one can join unless you want them. If any driver makes life difficult for the other drivers on the circuit, then you can decide to remove him.

The short answer is - no. The principle was established in 2004 in the High Court case Brentwood Borough Council vs Andrew Ernest Gladen. Since then, licensing officers across the country have agreed that licensed hackney carriage drivers may take bookings through a central telephone number.

This means licensed hackney carriage drivers can operate a TaxiCall service with no additional licence required.

Private Hire drivers who hold a Single Vehicle Operator's Licence are licensed to take bookings for themselves. So a group of one-man Operators could work together as a TaxiCall circuit, each taking bookings under their own licence. Each Operator would be responsible for complying with the conditions of his or her licence, including maintaining the record of bookings taken.

In some cases, drivers may not be able or may not want each to take out a single vehicle Operator's licence. In this case, one member of the group may take out a Multi-Vehicle Operator's Licence to cover bookings taken by other drivers who only hold a Private Hire driver's licence.

In this situation, the individual holding the Multi-Vehicle Operator's Licence is taking on the additional responsibility of keeping records of all the bookings taken by drivers under the licence, and of the licences of those drivers and their vehicles.

Some Licensing Authorities have a standard condition for a Multi-Vehicle Operator's Licence that the Operator must have suitable premises for an office, complete with planning permission for use as an office and sufficient parking. However, such conditions are required by law* to be 'reasonably necessary' and this is not so in the case of a TaxiCall circuit, since it can hardly be reasonable to require an Operator to have an office if it is not needed.

The TaxiCall contract is for a minimum of two drivers for twelve months. Above that minimum you can add and remove other drivers at a month's notice.

Each month, a few days after the day of the month on which your account was set up, we send the TaxiCall circuit organiser an invoice which includes a detailed statement of how much each driver owes. The organiser is responsible for collecting individual driver contributions and for settling the invoice. You can pay:

• using our secure online payment page,
• by direct bank transfer, using internet or telephone banking,
• by paying in cash over the counter at any branch of Barclays Bank,
• or by sending us a cheque.

The basic structure is: a one-off setup charge per driver, a monthly driver charge, and then calls are charged at 20p per minute, billed to the nearest second. A typical customer call lasts about 40 seconds and costs 14p. Click here to download our latest pricing.

TABS is charged at £30/month per group, (stand-alone or Virtual Circuit users). This includes the first 3,000 bookings entered. Thereafter it is charged at 1p per booking entered.

Prices quoted exclude VAT and are current from October 2012.