Street taxi or rank taxi: what are the differences in Flanders?

In Flanders, not all taxis operate under the same rules.

A driver who accepts bookings through an app does not necessarily carry out their activity under the same conditions as a taxi waiting for customers outside a station, an airport or on a reserved rank.

Flemish regulation notably distinguishes:

• the street taxi, called straattaxi;
• the rank taxi, called standplaatstaxi;
• ceremonial transport;
• the public transport taxi.

The distinction between street taxi and rank taxi has concrete consequences for the authorisation required, vehicle equipment, fares and the data that must appear in the duty sheet. The official summary is also on Vlaanderen.be.

What is a street taxi?

A street taxi is a vehicle made available to the public on the public highway or in another place at the operator's disposal.

The expression “street taxi” can nonetheless be confusing. It does not only mean a taxi hailed directly by a customer in the street.

According to the Flemish Region's official presentation, a street taxi can operate in two main ways.

A trip booked through an app

The customer books the taxi through an app or another electronic channel. The price or fare structure is communicated before the trip or before confirmation of the booking. The customer can thus accept the proposed conditions before departure.

A trip without a price set in advance

The customer may also call or hail an available taxi without a final price having been agreed. In that case, the price is calculated by the equipment in the vehicle, in line with the operator's fare structure.

In all cases, the fare structure must be communicated transparently before the trip or, for a reservation, before the booking. An indication of the final price must also be communicated to the customer.

Can a street taxi wait at a taxi rank?

No, not without the required municipal authorisation.

A rank reserved for taxis cannot be freely occupied by every vehicle that holds a Flemish licence.

It is forbidden to park as a rank taxi on a reserved space without holding an authorisation — machtiging — issued by the municipality concerned. Only an operator who already holds an operating licence may apply for this authorisation.

In addition, a street taxi may not park, wait or circulate awaiting customers within 200 metres on foot of a rank reserved for rank taxis, except when the trip has been booked.

This rule matters.

A driver may therefore pick up near a rank a customer who has genuinely booked their trip. They may not simply settle there or circle the rank in the hope of taking customers from authorised taxis.

What is a rank taxi?

A rank taxi is a vehicle made available to the public on a rank located on the public highway and specially reserved for individually remunerated passenger transport.

These are, for example, taxis present:

• outside certain stations;
• near an airport;
• on a municipal rank in a city centre;
• outside certain high-traffic locations.

An additional municipal authorisation is mandatory

The Flemish operating licence is not enough on its own to occupy a rank.

The operator must also obtain an authorisation from the municipality in whose territory the rank is located. This authorisation is valid for the ranks of that municipality, subject to the limitations and conditions set out in the municipal regulations. The municipality may also limit the number of authorisations available.

The municipality that issues the authorisation may impose additional conditions concerning, in particular:

• vehicle equipment and visual recognition;
• accessibility;
• service quality;
• minimum availability periods;
• data relating to the service and trips;
• fares;
• accepted means of payment.

Rules can therefore differ somewhat from one Flemish municipality to another for rank taxis.

The taximeter is mandatory for a rank taxi

A taxi used as a rank taxi must have a measuring instrument that meets federal requirements for measuring instruments. This equipment must make it possible to record, store and consult duty sheet and transport ticket data securely.

In practice, this is the approved European taximeter. A rank taxi must also have a roof light displaying the word “TAXI” at the front and rear.

When the vehicle is free, the roof light is on. When it is no longer available, it must be switched off.

Is the taximeter mandatory for a street taxi?

Not necessarily.

For a street taxi, equipment is required that can record, store and consult the regulatory data securely. This equipment may be:

• an approved European taximeter;
• or other equipment, in particular software or an app that meets the regulatory requirements.

Two different methods exist in the duty sheet:

• when the service uses equipment other than a taximeter, certain vehicle locations must be recorded;
• when the service uses an approved European taximeter, the taximeter's totalised values must be recorded.

It would therefore be incorrect to claim that all street taxis must operate without a taximeter. The difference depends both on how the vehicle is made available to the public and on the equipment used to perform and record the service.

Are the fares the same?

Not necessarily.

For the street taxi

The operator sets their fare structure. It may include, among other things, a starting price, a waiting price, a price per kilometre, a price per hour, a combined price, a flat rate, or a minimum or maximum price for a given trip. This structure must be communicated to the customer transparently before the trip or before the booking.

For the rank taxi

The municipality that issues the authorisation may set or frame the fares applied by rank taxis as well as the means of payment. Failure to comply with the fares set by the municipality for rank taxis is an offence.

Before operating a rank, you must therefore consult not only the Flemish framework but also the regulations of the municipality concerned.

Is the duty sheet identical?

The basis of the duty sheet — dienststaat — remains common. It must notably include the operator, the vehicle, the driver, the start of the shift, the starting mileage, breaks, the number of trips, distances travelled, prices and the end of the shift.

However, some data differ depending on the equipment used.

With software or equipment other than a taximeter

The duty sheet must notably record the vehicle's location at the start of the shift, at the start of each trip and at the end of each trip.

With an approved European taximeter

The duty sheet must include the taximeter's regulatory totalised values. Because a rank taxi must be fitted with a taximeter, its duty sheet should normally include these totalised values.

A street taxi using an app or other software must, for its part, record the required locations. The difference is therefore not two completely separate models: there is a common core, to which different data are added depending on the equipment. For the templates to attach to a licence file, see also TaxiGer for a licence application.

The transport ticket remains mandatory in both cases

At the end of each trip, a transport ticket must be given to the passenger or customer, without them having to ask for it. This obligation applies to both street taxis and rank taxis.

The transport ticket must notably state:

• the operator;
• the vehicle;
• the registration plate;
• the driver;
• the sequential trip number;
• pick-up and drop-off times;
• departure and arrival locations;
• kilometres travelled;
• the fare applied;
• the total price;
• information relating to complaints.

When a rank authorisation is involved, the contact details of the municipality that issued that authorisation must be stated when they are applicable.

Can the same vehicle be both a street taxi and a rank taxi?

Flemish regulation is based on a general licence for individually remunerated passenger transport. The vehicle's use category is not written on the licence.

The same vehicle may therefore, in principle, be used in different forms, provided the rules specific to each are complied with. This means a vehicle may be used as a street taxi and as a rank taxi when:

• it appears on a valid Flemish licence;
• it holds a rank authorisation issued by the municipality;
• it is fitted with the required taximeter;
• it has the mandatory roof light;
• the other municipal and regional conditions are met.

When it occupies a reserved rank, it acts as a rank taxi and must follow the corresponding rules. When it performs a booked trip without occupying the rank, the qualification and applicable conditions depend on how the vehicle is made available to the customer and on the equipment used.

Summary table

What an operator should remember

The main difference is not only about where the customer boards the vehicle.

The rank taxi has the right to occupy a reserved rank, but that right comes with additional conditions: municipal authorisation, approved taximeter, roof light, and compliance with any municipal fare and operational rules.

The street taxi has more freedom in organising bookings and fares, but cannot freely use reserved ranks or wait for customers in their immediate vicinity.

Finally, duty sheet data are not exactly the same in every situation. They vary mainly according to whether the service is performed with an approved European taximeter or with other equipment.

See also the Documents taxi hub.

FAQ

Official sources

• Flemish Decree of 29 March 2019 on individually remunerated passenger transport
• Flemish Government Decree of 9 June 2023 on operating conditions
• Flanders — Taxi types and conditions
• Flemish Government note — 2023 decree and annulment of the 8 November 2019 decree