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Private Hire Vehicles
A private hire vehicle should not be of such design or appearance to lead any person to think it’s a hackney carriage. Therefore, whilst roof signs are permitted at the present time, they should be restricted to ones showing the name and/or telephone number of the operator only (excluding the word “taxi”, “cab” or similar). Blank roof signs will not be permitted.
Cleanliness
The vehicle must be clean inside and out including seats, floor coverings, roof lining, dashboard, window sill, boot etc. (that is all parts visible to the passenger)
Advertisments
No advertisements are to be permitted in any window. No signs, notices, advertisement, plates, marks, numbers, letters, figures, symbols, emblems or devices whatsoever shall be displayed on, in or from the vehicle without prior approval of the council.
Age Limit
The Council has a policy of restricting licenses for Hackney Carriage and Private Hire vehicles to those which comply with the following age limits;
a)A saloon vehicle should not be over 5 years of age
b) Purpose built Hackney Carriage vehicles e.g FX 4, no more than 10 years old
c) Transit type vehicles (built to carry no more than 8 passengers) no more than 8 years old.
Exception to this policy is provided within the provisions of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, for a vehicle which has been maintained in such condition that it would be unreasonable for the Authority to refuse to licence it. This is intended to be a strictly observed rule, the exception to which is restricted to very exceptional cases where a vehicle is undeniably in practically faultless condition.
No defects other than the insignificant scratch, chip or dent should be tolerated on a vehicle over five years of age. All defects should be listed on a report. However, a vehicle should not fail solely because it is over 5 years old.
Bodywork/Paintwork – under 5 years of age
Any defect which may be prejudicial to safety is unacceptable. Also, a defect, or number of defects taken together should not be such as to detrimentally affect the appearance of the vehicle. Scratches, chips or small dents are acceptable (indeed inevitable) on even a relatively new vehicle, as indeed is a negligible amount of surface rust at certain points, which does not make the vehicle unattractive. However, an examiner needs to ask himself or herself, in assessing the defect, whether it is likely to lead to problems during the year ahead. If so, it should be immediately rectified and not left to chance. Vehicles should be in such condition that, given normal wear and tear (and maintenance), they are going to retain their good appearance throughout the year ahead. Visible, significant rusting, flaking or peeling of paintwork is not acceptable unless of a very minor nature and not visible to the public.
Attachments
Adobe Acrobat's portable document format (pdf). To view these files you will need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. This can be downloaded free at www.adobe.co.uk |[External].
Microsoft Word (Word) documents can be viewed using their free viewer which can be obtained from Microsoft's web site |[External].
Application Process
In order to qualify for a licence to enable a vehicle to operate as a Hackney Carriage or a Private Hire Vehicle, the vehicle must be inspected by a Council approved testing station. The test station will issue a Vehicle Inspection Report that will indicate if the vehicle has passed or failed the inspection.
A vehicle may be presented for inspection to one of the following two garages:-
Leicester City Testing Station (formerly Leicester Citybus) on Cobden Street, Leicester (telephone 0116 251 9185),
or,
Arriva Fox County Ltd, Station Street, South Wigston (telephone 0116 278 0200).
Once the vehicle has passed the inspection, you will need to produce:
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the vehicle inspection report, which the garage will issue to you,
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the log book (V5c) for the vehicle,
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and a current certificate of insurance or valid cover note
Application Forms
If you wish to apply for a vehicle licence you will need to complete the application form which can be downloaded by clicking the link below:
You can also obtain an application form, either by telephone: 0116 257 2732 or e-mail: licensing@oadby-wigston.gov.uk|.
When you contact us please provide us with the following information:
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the type of application you wish to make
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the name and address of the person to whom the forms are to be sent
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contact telephone and email details
Once you are ready to proceed with your application.
You may may send the form and and other documents back to us via post addressed for the attention of the:
Licensing Section
Oadby and Wigston Borough Council
Station Road
Wigston
Leicestershire
LE18 2DR
Or visit the Council offices in person and submit your application to a member of our Customer Services Team.
No appointment is necessary to visit our Customer Service Team, who are able during normal Council working hours to make a preliminary check of your application and documents and instruct on fees payments and or provide help with completing the application forms before the they are finally presented to the Licensing Team for processing.
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