Understanding taxi door signs and roof lights
Understanding taxi door signs and roof lights
Whilst there are many ways a taxi firm can advertise their services, one of the most important is to ensure that your cars are recognisable. This means getting your branding right and making sure it is prevalent on the exterior of your cars so that members of the public not only know that you’re a taxi, but can associate your cars with your brand. It is essential for ride hailing, because you want customers to come to you instead of a competitor. But it is also important for private hire cars because it helps your customers find you when you arrive. In either case, it’s good to have branding on your cars because it builds brand awareness as your cars becomes an advertisement for your business.
Door Signs
Taxis typically make use of vinyl stickers or magnetic signs on the car exterior. Vinyl stickers can be made from single colour cut vinyl, or printed vinyl. They are hard-wearing, which is why they are popular, and they can be applied without permanently damaging the car paintwork. Removal is reasonably simple, using a little heat or solvent. However, vinyl cannot be reused, so it’s recommended you hire a professional to apply them and only use vinyl if you are not likely to change your branding or contact details soon.
An alternative is magnetic signage which can be removed and reapplied easily. They are most popular amongst drivers who are not permanently associated with a firm, or use the car privately when not working. Taxi firms who employ a lot of part-time or temporary drivers may offer them. Whilst they are good in principal, it’s worth noting that cheaper signs tend to have poorer magnetism which can result in them falling off. It has also been known for people to steal them, so possibly best to avoid for the Friday night run!
When printing your door signs, you should ensure your branding has an appropriate colour contrast with the car paintwork. If you have not appropriately chosen your colour scheme you may find the signs are hard to read by people who are colour-blind, whilst some colours simply look awful, and therefore unprofessional, when put together.
Roof Lights
Roof lights and signs are important to let people know whether you are available to be hailed. However, private hire drivers could also use the space for an additional brand advertisement. It’s important to note the regulations of your local authority since some have specific requirements and provisions, including the use of a light within the sign.
One last thought
It’s a simple suggestion, but before printing any signage for your cars, call the numbers, email the email addresses and have someone review the wording to make sure they are 100% correct. You’d be surprised how often mistakes are missed!