City of York Council is to unveil a smart new livery that will start to appear on the city's fleet of hackney carriage taxis this Thursday 18 October.

From that date, the first five hackney carriages, which are taxis that can pick people up at taxi ranks or be hailed in the street, will be easily identified by their  black paintwork and corporate logo. The new look will gradually be rolled out across the fleet to give all vehicles a uniform appearance. The logo will take the form of the city crest (the council's version of the city's historic coat of arms), along with the words 'City of York Hackney Carriage' and the vehicle's plate number on both the nearside and offside door panels.

John Lacy, licensing manager for the council, said: "A standard livery will make it easier for the public, particularly visitors, to readily identify licensed vehicles, which are regulated and safe.

"It will clearly differentiate between private hire and hackney carriages, and also between York taxis that can legitimately trade in the city and those from outside that cannot.

"More importantly, a standard livery will improve the appearance of the fleet and enhance the image of our city, which is one of the most popular tourist destinations in England outside London."