Hartlepool Set to Keep its Traditional Yellow Taxis Despite Warning Over Costs...
Hartlepool Looks Set to Keep Its Yellow Taxis Despite Operator Warning Over Costs and Electric Cars...
16th September 2026
Hartlepool’s distinctive yellow taxis look set to remain a familiar sight on the town’s streets after an overwhelming majority of respondents to a council consultation backed keeping the colour — despite one major Taxi operator warning that the requirement is increasing costs and creating a barrier to the investment of electric vehicles into its fleet.
Hartlepool Borough Council’s Licensing Committee will consider the future of the town’s hackney carriage colour policy when it meets on 23 September, where, under the existing rules, hackney carriages in Hartlepool must be yellow, while private hire vehicles can be any colour except yellow. Unlike private hire cars, hackney carriages can be flagged down in the street and use designated taxi ranks. The council continues to describe yellow as a distinguishing feature of licensed Hartlepool taxis.
However, Taxi Cab Services (Hartlepool) Ltd, which trades as Blueline, has been pushing for the colour requirement to be reconsidered.
The company reportedly approached Hartlepool Borough Council back in September 2025, arguing that requiring vehicles to be professionally sprayed or wrapped in Hartlepool’s specified shade of yellow, known as AA Yellow creates a significant additional expense for taxi owners.
Blueline told the council that a professional respray or wrap now costs more than £2,000 on top of the cost of purchasing the vehicle.
Electric taxis caught up in the colour dispute
One of the arguments put forward by Blueline is that the policy could also be making it more harder to modernise Hartlepool’s ageing taxi fleet, with the company saying that it's interested in introducing some Tesla electric vehicles into its Hartlepool hackney carriage operation, but says the vehicles are only readily available in colours including red, blue, black, white and grey.
Blueline argues that requiring those cars to then be converted to the council's particular shade of yellow adds an unnecessary financial barrier.
As an alternative, the operator presented examples of vehicles using partial yellow wraps and liveries which it said could preserve a distinctive Hartlepool taxi appearance at a substantially lower cost. The examples included quoted prices of £368, £550 and £600 plus VAT.
Council officers acknowledged the argument by Blueline in its report, describing Blueline as making a commercial case around both the cost of full resprays and the difficulties the requirement presents when trying to introduce electric vehicles.
Public overwhelmingly backs yellow
But when the council put the issue out to consultation between July and August, the public and taxi trade delivered a clear response, with 491 responses received, with 418 responding by saying Hartlepool's hackney carriages should remain yellow.
Written representations included arguments that the colour has become part of Hartlepool's identity and makes licensed taxis immediately recognisable, particularly for vulnerable passengers or people looking for a legitimate taxi late at night.
Blueline previously pressed for changes to the colour requirements for Hartlepool's Taxis back in 2019, before the council ultimately retained yellow following consultation. The council's existing policy still requires hackney carriages to be professionally painted or wrapped in one of the specified non-standard shades of yellow.
Council acknowledges risk of losing Blueline
A potentially significant warning by Blueline Taxis is also stated within the committee report, where its claimed that in assessing the implications of retaining the existing policy, council officers acknowledge that retaining the policy could result in the possible “loss of Blueline as an Operator within the borough.”
Conversely, officers also warn that changing the policy in line with Blueline's request could result in the loss of other hackney carriage vehicles or drivers.
That leaves councillors being left having to balance the commercial concerns raised by one of the area's major taxi operators against a consultation result strongly favouring the traditional yellow fleet.
Blueline has also pointed to a longer-term decline in the hackney carriage trade. Its submission cites Department for Transport figures showing that Hartlepool had 164 licensed hackney carriages in 2013, falling to 132 in 2019 and 119 by 2024.
The operator argues that smartphone-based private hire services such as Uber have fundamentally changed how passengers book taxis and that the additional costs associated with maintaining a dedicated yellow fleet are increasingly difficult to justify.
Officers recommend keeping yellow
Despite those concerns, council officers are recommending that members do not amend the colour requirement. Their stated reason is the public consultation result, with 418 of the 491 respondents wanting yellow hackney carriages to remain.
The final decision will rest with the Licensing Committee when it considers the report on Wednesday, 23rd of September at Hartlepool's Civic Centre.
