With the Christmas period being an expensive time many partygoers try and find ways to save money, with nights out on the town being infamously expensive. For these reasons businesses like taxi ranks try and optimise on the festive period, offering cheap deals to separate themselves from their competitors. However, of late it appears that the ill-practicing drivers are preferring this advertising platform, something that the authorities of Yorkshire are placing a heavy focus on this year. Councillor Shaun Horton, portfolio holder for community involvement at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: "We are raising awareness through our Taxi Safe campaign of only using licensed taxis or private hire vehicles over the Christmas and New Year period and also of a new area of concern in how services are being advertised which are attractive to those using social media. "Many of the unlicensed services being offered through Facebook appear to be from younger drivers looking to make some extra money, meaning they have none of the experience, licences or security checks which are needed. Encouraging people to do their research before booking a cab through a number they don’t know the council are encouraging people to ask ferinds and family for lifts. "We are asking people to think carefully about how they and their loved ones are getting home after a night out this festive period and we want to make them aware of the potential dangers of getting into an unlicenced vehicle. "The most obvious issue is that passengers may not know the drivers and when they seek lifts, often having consumed alcohol, they could put themselves in a potentially dangerous or vulnerable position. "As to the drivers, if anyone is thinking about trying to provide a cut-price unofficial taxi service, just stop and ask yourself if it's worth it. "You could risk your own and your passengers' safety, your car, insurance and even your life for the sake of a few pounds, as well as committing a criminal offence." Tina Holtby, licensing manager at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said:"Public safety is very important to us and we hope people will take on board the advice and make the right decisions when choosing how to get home from a night out." Let us know what you think, should we be so sceptical about online ads? Leave your thoughts below.