Beyond the motor policy
Taxi public liability insurance
Taxi public liability insurance covers injury or damage you cause away from the drive itself, such as helping with luggage, a wheelchair or a door. The motor policy does not always reach that far.
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Luggage, boarding and kerbsideWhat taxi public liability covers
Taxi public liability insurance covers claims from members of the public for injury or property damage caused by your business activities outside the driving itself. Typical examples are a passenger hurt while you help them with bags, or a wheelchair damaged while loading.
Injury to passengers caused by the driving is covered by the motor policy. Public liability fills the gaps around it.
Liability in context
Sources: Sheffield City Council (11 November 2026) · Department for Transport (13 August 2026). Full list at the bottom of this page.
When the motor policy stops
A motor policy covers liability arising from the use of the vehicle. It may not respond to everything else a taxi driver does. Examples where public liability can apply:
- a passenger trips over a bag you set down on the pavement
- a wheelchair user is hurt on a ramp during boarding
- you damage a client's property while carrying luggage indoors
- a guest is hurt by a car door at a wedding venue during wedding car hire work
- a visitor is injured at your booking office
Drivers of wheelchair accessible taxis, chauffeurs and airport transfer drivers handle passengers and luggage more than most.
Who asks for it
Councils set operator conditions locally. Sheffield, for example, asks private hire operators to hold at least 2 million pounds of public liability cover if the public uses their premises[1]. Many councils also ask for public liability on school and SEND transport contracts, and corporate accounts may ask chauffeurs for proof.
For firms, public liability often sits in a wider taxi operator insurance package with employers' liability and office cover. MyMoneyComparison.com also has a general public liability insurance guide.
What insurers look at
What affects the price of taxi public liability insurance
Every insurer weighs these differently, which is why quotes for the same driver and car can vary.
- Limit of cover1, 2, 5 or 10 million pounds, depending on contracts.
- Type of workAccessible, chauffeur, contract or general taxi work.
- PremisesWhether the public visits an office.
- StaffNumber of drivers and office staff.
- TurnoverBusiness size.
- Claims historyPast liability claims.
FAQs
Taxi public liability questions
What is taxi public liability insurance?
It covers claims for injury or property damage to members of the public caused by your taxi business, outside the driving itself.
Does my taxi insurance cover passengers?
Yes, for injury caused by the driving. Injury while helping with luggage or boarding can fall to public liability instead.
Do taxi drivers need public liability insurance?
It is not a requirement for every driver, but councils, contracts and clients often ask for it, especially for operators and accessible vehicle work.
How much public liability cover do I need?
It depends on your contracts and council. Some councils ask operators for 2 million pounds; contracts may ask for more.
Can I get taxi public liability insurance online?
Yes. Say what passengers and the public come into contact with, such as luggage handling or a waiting room, and the cover limit your council asks for. Brokers reached through MyMoneyComparison.com can then quote.
Sources
Figures on this page come from the sources below. Each was checked on 11 November 2026; figures may change when a source is updated.
- Sheffield City Council, Private hire operator insurance, accessed 11 November 2026.
- Department for Transport, Taxi and private hire vehicle statistics, England: 2026, published 13 August 2026.
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CoverMyTaxi is a trading style of Mymoneycomparison.com Ltd. It is an information website and is not an insurer or an insurance broker. Quotes are provided through MyMoneyComparison.com and the brokers it works with, subject to insurers' acceptance criteria.