We're delighted there has been a further relaxation of Covid guidelines and that we are returning to normal occupancy in our vehicles

From Friday 25^th March 2022, our Driver and Passenger guidance changes from “Maximum of three passengers per standard taxi” to “The front seat should only be used if there are four passengers present and we strongly recommend that face masks are worn”

As always, this guidance is based on current circumstances. We will continue to monitor the situation and if these change, we will update our guidance accordingly.

PLEASE NOTE. AS OF 15TH FEBRUARY 2022, THE NI EXECUTIVE RELAXED ALL REMAINING COVID REGULATIONS AND THESE HAVE NOW BECOME GUIDANCE AS OPPOSED TO MANDATORY RULES

WE ARE STILL EVALUATING WHAT THIS WILL MEAN FOR OUR PASSENGERS AND DRIVERS, SO AT PRESENT WE STILL RECOMMEND THAT PASSENGERS CONTINUE TO WEAR A FACE COVERING WHILE IN A FONACAB AND THAT MAXIMUM OCCUPANCY REMAINS THREE PASSENGERS IN A STANDARD TAXI AND ALL SEATED IN THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE

AS AND WHEN OUR GUIDANCE CHANGES, WE WILL UPDATE THIS PAGE ACCORDINGLY

THANK YOU

fonaCAB has been proactive in introducing policies and procedures to improve passenger and driver well being - this website and its guidance for example was launched before lockdown began in March 2020. Where Government guidance is available or where new rules have been introduced we follow them as required. We have in addition introduced a number of company initiatives on top of any guidance to ensure that you have the safest journey possible.

• At fonaCAB, there are an average of 1000 drivers working each week at present - of these around 400 have Polycarbonate cough screens fitted. You can specifically request a car with a screen fitted if you want when you book. These screens are sanitised regularly and after each journey. Official Government guidance does not require or specifically recommend the use of screens. Our research has shown that some customers find some comfort with them in place.

• Many drivers who are currently not working are doing so because they may have their own or a relatives health concern that they need to protect. As a company we do not penalise drivers in any way for not working so there is no pressure to return to work too soon if not able or unwell

• Drivers have been issued with appropriate effective disinfectant and will clean down their cars regularly and focus on the “touch” points. We always expect our drivers to maintain a high standard of personal hygiene.

• We avoid personal contact – passengers at this time are asked to load and unload their own baggage, if the driver does this it is at the driver and the passengers discretion.

• Pay by card if you can – every fonaCAB Driver has a card reader on board which allows for contactless payments for up to £100. If your fare is greater than this, simply enter your pin number into the card reader

• If you are travelling for a Covid test you should not book a taxi or any other type of shared / public transport as you could potentially put others at risk of contracting the virus. In line with current Government guidance we are not currently accepting bookings to or from Covid test centres

• Our guidance remains for no more than three passengers in the taxi at any one time and all in the rear. We advise customers with more than three passengers to order two taxis however the driver may take more at his discretion (family groups as an example – two parents and two children). If the group is of three or more wanting to travel together, we recommend advising us when booking

• Face masks in taxis are now mandatory. We have made reusable face masks free and available for all drivers.

  • Driver and passengers must now wear a face covering for every journey

  • If the driver has a screen in place then face masks are optional

  • If driver or passenger are exempt from wearing a mask you do not have to do so. The driver cannot ask the passenger (or your passenger ask the driver) to prove why they are exempt. If you are challenged however by the authorities you may have to provide proof of your exemption to avoid prosecution

  • You are responsible for your own mask (you will be the one prosecuted if you do not comply with the regulations)

  • The driver can refuse to transport a Passenger for not wearing a mask. The passenger can refuse to accept a taxi for the same reasons. This can happen where the Driver or Passenger is conscious of contracting the virus and could for example occur if either party is not wearing a mask for genuine exemption reasons. As a provider we need to account for the wellbeing of passengers and drivers and will make every reasonable adjustment for alternative provision. Should this happen, please ask the Driver to call the Contact Centre to send you another taxi.

• We have removed the need to sign the drivers terminal for account customers after the journey (removes a touch point). The passenger can still verify the fare and receive a receipt if required.

• We already record details of every journey booked with fonaCAB. This information can be made available for Contact Tracing if required and subject to GDPR and other regulatory requirements

• All except one of our walk in depots (Haslems Lane Lisburn) remain closed to the public to reduce touch points and further mitigate virus transmission

• Our Contact Centres remain closed with staff working from home. Our Head Office has reopened with all appropriate safety guidelines being followed – this ensures that should a driver need to visit our admin department for example that the risk of any transmission in any other part of our business is vastly reduced

As we hope you can appreciate, guidance changes constantly. To ensure that you have the most up to date information, please revisit this page on a regular basis

If you have any questions about these initiatives, or anything else that fonaCAB is doing to ensure our approach remains market leading, please email them to customerservice@fonacab.com and we will respond

Thank You

Updated 12/05/21

Maximum Number of Passengers in a Taxi

During the pandemic, the legislation around taxi licensing in NI has not changed. If a standard taxi was licensed to carry four passengers before the pandemic, legally it remains licensed to carry four passengers now

Social distancing and face covering regulations introduced during the pandemic have caused some confusion however as they appear to conflict with what the existing legislation says – for example

• The regulations do not specify a maximum number of passengers, but do advise that passengers put as much physical distance between them and the driver as possible – they suggest for example that if travelling alone that this is in the rear and on the passenger side of the taxi

• The regulations also refer to the use of a partition screen in a taxi to mitigate virus transmission -sitting beside the driver and on the same side of the screen would eliminate its effectiveness

After carefully considering the licencing legislation and the regulations fonaCAB introduced occupancy guidelines for drivers. Our advice is that there should be no more than three passengers in a standard taxi and they should all be seated in the back

So, will your Drivers take four passengers?

We are still currently advising our passengers that while some drivers may take four passengers, this is not guaranteed as many drivers have reduced occupancy for the protection of their passengers and themselves – if you have four passengers in your party you should mention this when booking as some drivers may accept the booking, or we may need to send you two taxis or a multi seater taxi. If a driver takes four passengers, they are not breaking any laws by doing so provided they are seated correctly

Seated correctly…what does this mean?

A standard taxi is licensed to carry four passengers. This is on the basis on three in the rear of the taxi and one in the front. You cannot put four passengers into the back of a taxi as there are only three seatbelts in the back. If you have four passengers the only correct legal seating arrangement is for three in the back and one in the front.

What if I have children…do they count towards the maximum numbers?

Yes – you can read a detailed explanation of the law regarding seatbelts for children while in a taxi at https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/wearing-seat-belt-and-exemptions very small children are permitted to travel in a taxi on an adults lap / knee without a seatbelt, but regardless of age, they still count towards overall numbers – so if there are three seatbelts in the rear of a taxi, you cannot have two adults with two small children in the rear (while the two children might not use a seatbelt, they still count towards overall passenger numbers and four passengers are not allowed in the rear) Doing so is not legal and it is unlikely that you would be covered by insurance in the case of an accident

When will things be back to normal?

Government guidance on social distancing and wearing of face coverings has not changed recently and remains in place.

Once Government confirm that restrictions have been relaxed we will update our guidance to drivers