Taxi and private hire vehicle licences

You need a taxi vehicle licence before you can use your vehicle to carry passengers who pay you for the journey.

There are two types of taxi vehicle licence:

• Hackney carriage vehicle licence – for vehicles that can be hailed in the street, wait at taxi ranks, or be pre-booked.
• Private hire vehicle licence – for vehicles that must be pre-booked through a licensed private hire operator.

Before you apply, you should decide which type of licence you need and check that your vehicle meets the council’s taxi licensing policy for that type of licence.

The taxi licensing policy sets out the standards that licensed vehicles must meet. These standards help make sure that vehicles used to carry passengers are safe, suitable, comfortable, and properly insured. [insert link]

The rules cover things such as the age, type, condition, emissions standard, accessibility, and safety features of the vehicle. Different rules may apply depending on whether the vehicle will be licensed as a hackney carriage or a private hire vehicle.

Before you start your application, you should read this page and the taxi licensing policy for the licensing authority you are applying to.

This will help you understand what information and documents you need to provide, and whether your vehicle is likely to meet the licensing requirements.