Private hire vehicle licence

This page contains information on private hire vehicle licenses. It includes information on how to apply for a vehicle licence, the cost of licence fees, what standards of fitness are required for the vehicles.

There are two types of vehicle licensing:-
• private hire
• hackney carriage

Private hire vehicle

A private hire vehicle must be pre-booked through a licensed private hire operator before a member of the public can use this vehicle for a journey. These vehicles cannot be flagged down in the street nor can they use designated taxi ranks.

Any person driving a licensed vehicle in Oadby and Wigston must also be licensed as a private hire/hackney carriage combined driver by Oadby and Wigston Borough Council licensing team.

Application process

In order to qualify for a licence to enable a vehicle to operate as a private hire vehicle the vehicle must be inspected by an approved testing station. The testing 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 Leicester (0116) 251 9185 or Arriva Fox County Ltd, Station Street, South Wigston (telephone Leicester (0116) 278 0200).

Once the vehicle has passed the inspection, you will need to produce:-

• the vehicle inspection report, which the garage will issue to you,
• the log book (V5c) for the vehicle 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 for hackney carriage-private hire licence (PDF Document, 24.65 Kb)

You can also obtain an application form using the contacts on the left. When you contact us please provide us with the following information:-

• the type of application you wish to make
• the name and address of the person to whom the forms are to be sent
• contact telephone and email details

Once you are ready to proceed with your application

You may send the form and other documents back to us via post to the address on the left 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 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 presented to the licensing team for processing.

Current licence fees are as follows:-

private hire vehicle licence from 1 April 2012, £216.00 (excluding test fees)

Required standards

Private Hire Vehicles

A private hire vehicle should not be of such design or appearance to lead any person to think it is 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.

Fire extinguisher
There shall be provided and maintained in the vehicle at all times when it is in use or available for hire a suitable and efficient fire extinguisher which conforms to the current British Standard (BS5423) (minimum capacity 1 litre).

The fire extinguisher should be mounted on brackets in a convenient position in the driver's compartment, if practicable. Otherwise the extinguisher should be mounted on brackets in the boot. The vehicle licence number shall be marked on the extinguisher.

First aid kit
A suitable first aid kit must be provided in the vehicle. The vehicle licence number must be marked on the first aid kit.

Vehicle inspection report
All vehicle inspection reports must be submitted within two weeks of when the vehicle passed the test.

Road test
Vehicle should perform normally in a road test. Normal acceleration. No undue noise. Ride should be comfortable and smooth. No fault should be permitted which could detrimentally affect the comfort of the passenger.

Operation of doors and windows
The operation of doors and windows should be smooth and without hindrance or inconvenience. All components should fit and operate normally with manufacturer's specifications.

Vehicle structure
Vehicle structure should be in such condition that no failure or serious corrosion of any load bearing members is likely during the period for which the vehicle is to be licensed (one year) (for example, the vehicle should look as if it is safe for at least one year, given the circumstances of its use as a hire vehicle).

Cleanliness
The vehicle must be clean inside and out including seats, floor coverings, roof lining, dashboard, window sill, boot and so on (that is all parts visible to the passenger).

Advertisements
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 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 suc as FX 4, no more than 10 years old or
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 Council 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 and 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 is a negligible amount of surface rust at certain points, which does not make the vehicle unattractive. However, an examiner needs to ask them self, 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.