Hackney Insurance

By | June 26, 2011

A hackney carriage is an automobile for hire. It is also known as black cab or London taxi. In UK the name hackney carriage refers to a taxicab licensed by PCO (Public Carriage Office) in greater London or by some other local authority in other parts of Great Britain. Hackney is only allowed to ply for work when it is properly insured. This insurance is checked and verified by right authorities. For some authorities drivers have to pass a certain test that checks to see whether the driver is familiar with London streets or not. Other authorities only require a background check and fair driving record. To ensure that drivers are in compliance, random checks are often performed.

Maintenance of hackney vehicle is very time consuming and expensive for the driver. But insurance for hackney vehicle is not any more expensive than for most of the vehicles. You can have discounts and other ways of saving money by clean driving record, number of vehicles and location of your service. Hackney needs some extra coverage to ensure the drivers that they are protected especially from third party damages.

Effective hackney carriage insurance is required to protect your financial interests. Adequate insurance will give you a proper cover in case of accidents. It also helps you out of the legal requirements. To search for proper and cheap hackney insurance you need to bear in mind a number of several important points.
First is the level of cover you want. To be fully protected you need to be as comprehensive as possible. Third party, fire and theft cover is the minimum coverage you can go for. Having public liability cover is essential and it will save you, your passengers and other road users in case of accidents.

Secondly, it is always best to see other additional covers that can be offered. Replacement cab cover is life saving. It means that in a condition when your cab is stolen or damaged in an accident you need not to worry anymore. You will not be out of work for any longer than you have to be.

It is also important to check if your hackney insurance policy covers you for the area you are working in. Because of high traffic in cities many insurers do not offer cover for hackney cab. But you have to spend time to search for proper insurer, company or broker that provides you with such insurance, allowing you to get on road as quickly as possible.

Price is another important consideration. You can reduce your premiums by increasing your excess. Some of the benefits hackney insurance policy holders include:

• Third party cover is offered to drive other private cars and taxis you do not own.
• 24 hours breakdown cover is provided which includes roadside assistance, home-start, vehicle recovery and journey completion.
• For unavoidable windscreen damage, optional windscreen cover is offered.
• Legal liability coves damage to other’s property and death and injury of any other person including passengers.
• Medical expenses are included in comprehensive policy.
Hence to make sure that you have got a fully comprehensive hackney insurance policy at an affordable rate, you need to search and compare

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