I think all public transportation vehicles should follow suit from the U.S.: if your vehicle is for public transportation, advertise it as such with decals, window stickers, car stickers etc of your or your company's information. There are many people who get the "H" on their vehicle for insurance purposes and others who work as maxi/taxi but prefer to keep their "T" or "P". Of course this comes down to enforcement again, but we know what to expect of that by now.
To take it further, I really wish taxis and maxis would come together to form an organization (not just to demand higher fare) that as LadyDeath said, will allow people to contact them and see all relevant information to validate the driver when they need transport. I'm sure criminals will find a way around this but as per her description it really sounds like a great way to make the public feel safer when traveling.
Also, in the U.S., drivers need to be registered with a company and pass a background check that usually calls for references etc. Drivers have to post a document with their photograph and relevant driver approval info, stamped and signed, big and bold where the customers can easily read every single word comfortable from their seat. Again, I'm sure there are criminals who can work around this, but I don't feel safe traveling knowing that any random Joe or Jane can get an H slapped on their vehicle, or what's more worrying, that many don't need it at all! If the drivers want to claim higher fares together as an association, then I don't see why they can't put some structure in that same association (on record!!!) and have some accountability to make people feel safer about who they're getting into a vehicle with (criminal history, number of years driving, accident history, hours of operation etc)
Also, a timed 24/7 system (or at least a reliable guess schedule) would be really great. In the U.S. at each bus stop there is a 24/7 bus schedule to follow so you know when to expect your bus. Delays, construction, etc are usually announced through the media whenever possible, by traffic attendants, or posted up at bus stops. When you call for a taxi, you are told how long you should expect a driver to arrive. I was involved in a district youth council group when I was in school here, and got to every single one late (as did almost everyone there due to transportation problems). Meetings started at 6pm and I lived half an hour away. But from 4-7pm there were rarely any maxis or taxis passing in front of my house, and after that, seeing one anytime between sunset and sunrise was like seeing a pig fly. When I traveled to school, I had to leave home (half an hour away) by 6:20am (not 6:10, not 6:30) if I wanted to get to school before 8AM. Even today, I see events I want to attend, volunteer groups I want to join, and unreliable and unsafe transportation is the number one thing keeping me back (even worse with a young child). Having some consistency with the understanding that people don't stand around all day between 6AM-4PM twiddling their thumbs waiting for transport for hours until whenever a driver feels like it, would be a huge improvement.
