City officials are warning the public not to take unlicenced or "bandit" taxis they believe will be operating in Edmonton over the holidays.

"During busy times of the year like Christmas and New Year's, we see people trying to make a quick buck by putting a taxi sign on their personal vehicle and driving around," said Phil Fearon, the chief livery officer for the City of Edmonton in a news release.

"The problem is we have no idea who these people are, if they are qualified to drive, or how well they maintain their vehicles. They also don’t have the proper insurance, which means no one in the car would be covered if there was an accident."

Legitimate cabs have a front licence plate that says "Edmonton Taxi" as well as a four digit number preceded by the letter "A".

Taxi drivers must also display their city-issued licence with their photo on it inside the vehicle. The car should also have a fare meter, roof light and company name displayed on the outside.

The city handed out tens of thousands of dollars in fines in two crackdowns on illegal cabs last June and August.