Castle cars are the University of Birmingham and Guild of Students’ nominated taxi supplier for use by students and staff. Castle Cars became the endorsed private hire firm in 2009 after a lengthy tender process.
We would like to stress that we are not affiliated in any way to Falcon Cars, who were part of the tender process, but were unsuccessful.
In recent months we are aware of confusion amongst students over which company is accredited by the University and Guild of Students, and publicity material promoting our affiliation with Falcon Cars has been brought to our attention. As Falcon cars are not accredited by the Guild or University they do not have permission to use our branding, logos or to state/imply any relationship to either party. We are continuing to investigate the unauthorised use of trademarks, logos and branding and are are working closely with the licensing authority to resolve this issue.
We would like to reiterate to students that Falcon Cars are in no way affiliated with the University or Guild, and we urge students to only use recommended suppliers such as Castle Cars or hackney carriage vehicles, (the University also endorse Computer Cabs). Not only because they comply with our rigorous safety procedures, but because we can follow up complaints.
We remind students that in order to be insured and safe when using private hire vehicles, that they always ring ahead and book their taxi, and never to get into an un-booked or un-marked car.
Student Safety is a priority for the Guild and University. Castle cars offer a University ID card retention scheme, whereby students with insufficient funds can exchange their student card – with the fee being paid at a later date. The Guild also operates a free Night Bus scheme, in conjunction with Castle Cars, to bring students home safely from nights out at the Guild of Students and in the city centre.
