Rank taxi duty sheet: which data must come from the taximeter?

A rank taxi in Flanders is more than an operating licence. To work on a reserved rank, the vehicle must also have municipal authorisation, a roof light saying “TAXI” and a verified taximeter.

That taximeter does not only display the fare. It also feeds the duty sheet — the dienststaat — with totalised values that the app cannot invent.

For an operator, the practical question is simple: which data must come from the taximeter, how do you retrieve them at the start and end of the duty, and what should you check before an inspection?

A taximeter is mandatory for a rank taxi

A vehicle used as a rank taxi must have a measuring instrument that meets federal requirements. In practice, this means a European approved taximeter, installed and verified.

It is not an option “if the driver prefers it”. Without a compliant taximeter, the vehicle does not meet rank-taxi conditions, even if it already holds an IBP licence and municipal authorisation.

The roof light completes this setup: on when the vehicle is free, off when it is no longer available.

The duty sheet remains linked to the driver and their duty

As with a street taxi, the duty sheet (dienststaat) documents one driver’s duty with a given vehicle. It covers the period between start and effective end of the duty.

It must make it possible to reconstruct:

• who was driving;
• with which vehicle;
• at what time the duty started and ended;
• which trips were carried out;
• which distances and amounts were recorded.

The key difference from a street taxi without a taximeter: part of the regulatory figures must come from the taximeter totalisers, not only from the app’s GPS.

What must be recorded at the start of the duty?

When a driver starts their day, the duty sheet must at least contain:

• the operator’s name or designation, address, email and phone;
• the date;
• vehicle identification and number plate;
• the driver’s first and last name;
• the start time of the duty;
• the vehicle mileage at the start of the duty;
• the taximeter totalised values at the start of the duty.

For a street taxi using an app rather than a taximeter, GPS locations (start of duty, start and end of each trip) mainly complete the common base. For a rank taxi, the taximeter totalisers play that role.

Example

A driver starts at 6:45 with vehicle TX-123-ABC. The system must record the driver, the vehicle, 6:45, the odometer reading, and the reading of the five taximeter totalisers at that moment — not an estimate entered by hand later in the day.

What are the taximeter totalised values?

Totalised values (often called totalisers) are cumulative counters on the taximeter. For a rank-taxi duty sheet, five values matter in particular:

1. the total distance travelled;
2. the distance in “hired” position;
3. the total number of trips;
4. the total amount of supplements;
5. the total amount of trip prices.

These counters increase over the life of the taximeter. What the duty sheet must show for a given duty are the values at the start and at the end — and therefore, by difference, that day’s activity.

Simplified example

At the start of the duty:

• total distance: 128,450.3 km;
• “hired” distance: 91,220.1 km;
• number of trips: 18,742;
• supplements: €12,480.50;
• trip prices: €524,310.20.

At the end of the duty:

• total distance: 128,612.8 km (+ 162.5 km);
• “hired” distance: 91,341.4 km (+ 121.3 km);
• number of trips: 18,760 (+ 18);
• supplements: €12,512.00 (+ €31.50);
• trip prices: €524,891.70 (+ €581.50).

Those differences must match the trips actually carried out during the duty. If the software shows 18 trips but the totaliser only advanced by 12, something is wrong.

Why can the counters not be reset to zero?

Regulatory totalisers are designed to be cumulative and are not reset at each duty. They make it possible to check continuity of data over time.

Resetting a counter every morning would erase the audit trail: you could no longer link a day to the taximeter’s history. During an inspection, the officer must be able to rely on coherent values that cannot be freely manipulated on the fly.

In practice: the driver (or the connected system) reads the counters; they do not “reset” them. Any technical intervention on the taximeter belongs to an authorised body, not to a daily driver action.

What data must be recorded during the duty?

During the day, the duty sheet keeps building. It must notably include:

• the times of breaks actually taken;
• the number of trips since the start of the duty;
• the final price of each trip;
• the number of pick-ups;
• the total distance travelled during the duty;
• the distance travelled with a passenger on board.

Each trip must also generate the information needed for the transport ticket. The taximeter calculates distances, times and fares; the overall system must attach those elements to the right driver, vehicle and open duty.

What must the sheet contain at the end of the duty?

When the driver closes their day, the duty sheet must include:

• the date and time of the effective end of the duty;
• the total number of trips;
• the agreed price and final price of each trip;
• the number of pick-ups;
• total distance and distance with passengers;
• the taximeter totalised values at the end of the duty;
• declared breaks.

Simply switching off the phone or leaving the app is not enough. The duty must be closed explicitly, with a reading of the end totalisers.

Does the taximeter automatically create the entire duty sheet?

Not necessarily.

The taximeter provides distances, times, fares and totalisers. But the duty sheet must also identify the operator, the driver, the vehicle, opening and closing of the duty, and breaks.

A taximeter alone, without duty-management software around it, does not always produce a complete sheet that remains consultable for seven years. Conversely, software without a reliable link to the taximeter cannot invent the regulatory totalisers.

Can an app replace taximeter data?

No, for a rank taxi. An app can complement the system: start the duty, manage breaks, display the sheet, send trips to Chiron, archive documents.

But the regulatory totalised values must come from the verified taximeter. Replacing those counters with a GPS estimate or with totals calculated only in the app does not meet the rank-taxi obligation.

What if the taximeter cannot communicate with the software?

Ideally, taximeter and software exchange data automatically (interface, cable, manufacturer protocol). If communication fails, the operator must have a clear procedure.

In practice:

• immediately check cabling, power and taximeter status;
• if the duty must continue, record start and end totalisers in a traceable way (documented manual reading) until repair;
• do not “invent” values to fill a hole in the sheet;
• call an authorised technician as soon as possible;
• keep a record of the incident (time, vehicle, symptoms, intervention).

Repeated communication failures are not an IT detail: they are a risk of an incomplete duty sheet during an inspection.

Can the duty sheet be printed?

Yes, as a screen, digital document or printout, provided the content is readable, understandable and identical to the original data.

The PDF or printout does not replace secure recording during the duty. They are its representation. A document reconstructed by hand weeks later, with no link to the totalisers actually read, is not enough.

Must the driver be able to show the sheet during an inspection?

Yes. When a competent officer asks for the data, the driver must be able to present the secured information from the duty sheet and transport tickets.

Saying that “everything is at the office” or that “only the boss has the password” is a problem if the driver cannot show anything on the spot. Equipment in the vehicle must allow the data to be presented in a readable form.

How to check that the taximeter is in order?

According to the FPS Economy, periodic verification of the installation takes place every four years. A green vignette shows the year and expiry date.

The operator should regularly check:

• that the vignette is present and readable;
• that the expiry date has not passed;
• that the taximeter works (display, optional print, switching to hired position);
• that seals / sealing have not been tampered with.

A taximeter past its verification deadline exposes the vehicle and the operator, even if the dispatch software works perfectly.

What to do if it fails during a trip?

If the taximeter fails during a trip, the driver must not improvise a fare “by feel” without a procedure. In practice:

• inform the customer transparently;
• apply the operator’s internal procedure (and municipal rules where applicable);
• document the incident: time, place, trip concerned, symptoms;
• take the vehicle out of rank service if the taximeter is no longer reliable;
• have the device repaired and re-verified before resuming rank activity.

Continuing a full rank day with a faulty taximeter produces a fragile duty sheet and a high risk in an inspection.

The transport ticket remains mandatory

At the end of every trip, a transport ticket must be given to the customer without them having to ask. This obligation also applies to rank taxis.

The ticket notably mentions the operator, vehicle, plate, driver, trip number, times and places, kilometres, fare and total price. When a rank authorisation applies, the municipality’s contact details may also need to appear.

Does Chiron replace taximeter data?

No.

Chiron receives departure and arrival messages for trips. It replaces neither the taximeter, nor the totalisers, nor the duty sheet, nor the transport ticket.

A trip correctly sent to Chiron can coexist with an incomplete duty sheet if the totalisers were not read or if the duty was not closed properly.

Can a rank taxi also accept trips via an app?

Yes, in principle the same vehicle can combine modes if it has the required authorisations and equipment. But as soon as it operates as a rank taxi, taximeter and totaliser rules apply.

Accepting a trip via an app does not remove the need to read the totalisers or to produce a complete duty sheet. The operator should clarify in procedures what changes (or does not) depending on how the trip is acquired.

The most common mistakes to avoid

• Starting the duty without reading the totalisers — the start/end difference can no longer be established correctly.
• Entering “approximate” values — counters must be read, not estimated.
• Using a taximeter with an expired vignette — the equipment is no longer in order, even if the screen still works.
• Believing the GPS app replaces the taximeter — for a rank taxi, it does not.
• Never declaring breaks — the sheet does not reflect the real duty.
• Closing the app without closing the duty — missing or incorrect end totalisers.
• Continuing on rank with a faulty taximeter — trips without a reliable measurement base.

The check the operator should organise

The operator should not wait for an inspection to discover gaps. A simple checklist, every day or every week:

1. has each driver started and closed their duty?
2. is the correct vehicle selected?
3. is the start mileage present?
4. were start totalisers recorded?
5. were end totalisers recorded?
6. do start/end differences match the day’s trips?
7. does each trip have a final price and a transport ticket?
8. are breaks declared?
9. is the taximeter’s green vignette valid?
10. does taximeter ↔ software communication work?
11. were data sent to Chiron?
12. can duty sheets be opened and downloaded by the driver?
13. are archives older than a few months still accessible (7-year retention)?

What an operator must remember

For a rank taxi, the duty sheet is not a simple trip list. It combines the identity of the duty (driver, vehicle, times, breaks) with the totalisers of the verified taximeter.

Before each day and before each inspection, two questions almost suffice:

“Do the totalised values really come from the verified taximeter?” and “Can the driver present a complete duty sheet during an inspection?”

If the answer to either is no, the system is not ready — even if dispatch and Chiron seem to work. See the Documents hub and TaxiGer for the licence file.

FAQ

Official sources

• Flemish Government Decree of 9 June 2023 — operating conditions
• Royal Decree of 15 April 2016 — measuring instruments, Annex IX (taximeters)
• Vlaanderen.be — Taxi: types and conditions
• FPS Economy — Taximeter inspection and verification