Public Carriage Office
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The Public Carriage Office (PCO) is a United Kingdom body responsible for licensing taxis within the London metropolitan area. The PCO is part of Transport for London and is responsible for licensing the familiar London taxi or "black cab" and is also in the process of licensing private hire or "mini-cab" services.
History
Since 1600 public carriages for hire have been a feature of London life. The discarded coaches of aristocratic families, complete with their coat of arms, were among the first hackney carriages to ply for hire. They were the forerunners of the French hackney carriage or cab (cabriolet) which first appeared in London around 1820.
The first horseless cab, the Bersey electric powered vehicle, appeared in 1897, followed by the first internal combustion engine cab in 1903. At that time London still had more than 11,000 horse drawn cabs. The last horse drawn cab was removed from service in 1947. There are now over 20,000 licensed vehicles on London's roads.
Regulation of the trade passed to the Metropolitan Police in 1850 and was undertaken by the Public Carriage Office, which was originally located in an annex to New Scotland Yard in Whitehall called "the Bungalow". It moved to 109 Lambeth Road in 1919, remaining there until 1966, when it moved to its present home, 15 Penton Street, Islington.
On the formation of Transport for London on the 3rd July 2000 the licensing authority changed, however the day to day licensing function remained with the Public Carriage Office.
With the introduction of the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998 the role of the PCO has extended to include the licensing of private hire operators, drivers and vehicles. Implementation of the legislation has been phased, with operator licensing near completion and driver licensing at the end of a consultation process. Over 2000 operators have applied and It is estimated that there are about 40,000 drivers and a similar number of vehicles.
To cope with the additional volume a new integrated taxi and private hire information technology system (TAPITS) has been developed. Alongside this, are plans to develop a computer-based Knowledge of London testing system that will interface with the proposed integrated system.
External links
- Transport for London's Public Carriage Office Website (http://www.tfl.gov.uk/pco/). The above article is a modified version of their webpages and was made with their permission.