In the UK, private hire vehicles can’t be hailed on the street. Every ride must originate as a pre-booking with the operator’s name, vehicle, and driver documented. RideCab turns that compliance requirement into a competitive advantage, your booking form creates the pre-booking record automatically, your operator licence number appears on every email and invoice, and your customers get instant online confirmation instead of calling and waiting.
This page covers RideCab configured for licensed private hire operators in the UK and similar regulated markets: pre-booking documentation, licence display, driver compliance fields, and audit-ready record keeping.
Pre-booking compliance made automatic
UK private hire regulations (and equivalent frameworks in other markets) require that every booking is made through the licensed operator, with a documented record of the booking time, customer details, vehicle, and driver. RideCab creates this record automatically for every booking placed through your WordPress site.
Each booking generates a WooCommerce order with a timestamp, the customer’s name and contact details, the pickup and dropoff addresses, the vehicle used, the assigned driver, and the fare. This is the pre-booking documentation record your licence requires. It’s searchable, exportable, and stored permanently unless you delete it. The full reservation feature set is covered in the online taxi reservation system on WordPress guide.
Every RideCab booking creates a timestamped, searchable record with customer name, contact, pickup, dropoff, vehicle, driver, and fare. This is the pre-booking documentation your licensing authority requires. Records are stored for as long as you keep the WooCommerce orders. Set to 6 years to match typical licensing retention requirements.
Displaying your operator licence number
Private hire operators are legally required to display their operator licence number on customer communications. RideCab’s email templates and PDF invoice templates include a configurable business details section. Add your operator licence number, your vehicle licence plate numbers, and your licensing authority name, they appear on all customer-facing outputs.
Confirmation emails sent to customers after booking include your operator name, licence number, and driver details once assigned. PDF invoices include the full suite of required business identifiers. Nothing needs to be manually added to each booking. Configure once, displayed automatically on every communication.
Driver compliance profiles
Each driver in RideCab has a profile that can store their name, contact details, and (via the notes field) their driver licence number and licence expiry date. When a driver is assigned to a booking, their name appears on the customer’s confirmation email, a requirement in some private hire markets.
For operators who need deeper driver compliance tracking (licence expiry alerts, CRB/DBS check dates, medical certificate dates), the driver profile notes field serves as a structured reference that the dispatcher can check before assignment. More sophisticated compliance tracking would require additional tools alongside RideCab.
Audit-ready booking records
Licensing authority audits require that you can produce booking records on demand for a defined retention period. Typically 6 years in UK private hire. RideCab stores bookings as WooCommerce orders. WooCommerce’s built-in export tools generate CSV exports of all orders by date range, filterable by customer, driver, or vehicle.
For a compliance audit, export all bookings in the audit period to CSV, filter by the requested date range, and produce the file. Every record includes the booking reference, timestamp, customer name, pickup, dropoff, vehicle, driver, and fare. No manual record keeping, no spreadsheet maintenance, just export when needed.
Customer experience that wins against apps
Private hire operators often lose customers to Uber and Bolt not because of price but because of convenience. Customers want to book instantly without calling. RideCab gives your customers exactly that, a booking form on your own website, 24/7 availability, instant confirmation email, upfront fare display, and payment options including card, PayPal, or cash. The taxi booking form for WordPress is mobile-first and completes in under 90 seconds on a phone.
The difference is that you own the booking platform, you own the customer relationship, and you pay no per-ride fee to any app platform. The complete WordPress taxi booking system costs $79 once plus hosting, versus 15–25% commission per ride on third-party platforms.
Frequently asked questions
Does RideCab meet UK private hire pre-booking requirements?
RideCab creates a timestamped booking record for every booking with customer name, contact, pickup, dropoff, vehicle, driver, and fare. This matches the pre-booking documentation requirements under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 and the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998.
Can I display my operator licence number on invoices and emails?
Yes. Add your operator licence number to the business details in RideCab’s settings. It appears on all PDF invoices and can be added to email templates.
How long are booking records retained?
WooCommerce orders are retained until you delete them. Set a retention policy of 6+ years to match typical licensing authority requirements. WooCommerce’s export tools let you archive records before deletion.
Can I restrict bookings to pre-arranged times only?
Yes. It form requires the customer to select a pickup date and time in advance. Instant booking mode can be enabled for short-notice requests, but all bookings still create a pre-booking record.
Does the driver’s name appear on customer communications?
Once you assign a driver to a booking and update the status, the assignment triggers a notification email to the driver. For customer-facing driver display, this requires a small template customisation.
Can I run multiple vehicle types with different licence categories?
Yes. Create separate vehicle types for standard private hire vehicles, executive vehicles, and accessible vehicles. Each vehicle type has its own pricing, capacity, and can have its own licence category noted in the description.