Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Licence

A private hire vehicle must be booked in advance 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.

For further details, customers are advised to consult the Council's Policy on the hackney carriage and private hire licensing.

Please also read: Statutory Guidance - Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards (PDF Document, 277.37 Kb)

You can read the temporary policy for use of protective screens here: Use of Protective Screens in Private Hire and Hackney Vehicles (PDF Document, 145.97 Kb)

In response to the continued Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, the Department for Transport has developed ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): safety screens for taxis and PHVs Guidance’ for the safe and appropriate fitting of separating screens between the front and rear of a taxi or private hire vehicle.

The guidance was published on 3 March 2021 and can be found here

The installation of screens is one mitigation to prevent the transmission of the Covid-19 virus from driver to passenger and vice-versa. The guidance forms part of the Department for Transport’s Vehicle Safety Standards Information Sheets series.

Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Licences

The difference between Hackney Carriages and Private Hire Vehicles is not commonly known to members of the public.

A Hackney Carriage may ‘ply for hire’ from an appointed “taxi” or Hackney Carriage stand or rank within the district in which it is licensed. It may also be hailed and booked from a public street in that district.

A Private Hire Vehicle may only undertake journeys booked in advance.

Hackney Carriages or Private Hire Vehicles licensed by Oadby and Wigston Borough Council must display internal and external licence plates at all times in a position approved by the Council. Hackney Carriages display a blue plate and Private Hire vehicles display an orange plate.

The Council’s policy on vehicles exists for the reasons of Public Safety to ensure that the standard of vehicle remain suitable for the safe transport of members of the public.

The following age limits apply:

• Vehicles to be licensed for the first time must be under 4 years of age
• Vehicles over the age of 9 years will not be licensed

Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles are exempt from requiring an MOT and Oadby and Wigston Borough Council has the responsibility to ensure that the vehicles it licences are in condition to be used on public roads and requires them to be tested at a Council approved vehicle testing station to a standard higher than an MOT.

Licensed vehicles are also required to carry:

• Fire Extinguisher
• First Aid Kit conforms to British Standard BS8599
• Spare Wheel or Puncture repair kit
• No smoking signs
• Sam Says stickers (when issued)

MOTs became mandatory again with effect from 1 August 2020.

For further information please see the Driver & Vehicle Standard Agency website.

For all new vehicle applications, renewal vehicle applications and 6 monthly MOTs, please book your MOT with one of our approved MOT Testing Stations listed below:

• Tebco Motor Factors Ltd - 0116 276 0369
  75 Cannock Street
  Leicester
  LE4 9HR

• R&R MOT Centre Ltd – 0116 288 3700
  35 Chartwell Drive
  Wigston
  Leicestershire
  LE18 2FL

The fee for a licence for ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs), both new and renewal applications, is discounted by 15% compared with a standard vehicle licence fee. ULEVs which include pure electric vehicles and fuel cell electric vehicles, to plug-in hybrids and extended range electric vehicles and emit less than 75g of CO2/km from the tailpipe

The fee for a wheelchair accessible vehicle is discounted by 25% compared with a standard vehicle licence fee.

It is the licensees responsibility to ensure that their vehicle has valid insurance and MOT, we do not send out reminder notices. If our database identifies that insurance or MOTs have expired, then the vehicle will be suspended with immediate effect and will remain suspended until such time that a valid certificate of motor insurance or a pass taxi MOT certificate is received.

Taxi Meters

Only meters fitted by our approved installers will be accepted.

For all new Hackney Carriage vehicle applications, please find below our approved installers:

TXtronix

07960990118 - nasir@txtronix.co.uk

65 Copse Close

Oadby

LE2 4FD

Nottingham Radio Communication Services

0115 952 3322 – info@nottsradio.co.uk

18 Hendon Rise

Nottingham NG3 3AN

APPLY FOR A VEHICLE LICENCE HERE

Please note: where an application is withdrawn or refused the Council reserves the right to levy a reasonable and proportionate administration fee to cover the costs of processing up to the point of withdrawal or refusal. Where a licence is suspended or revoked there will be no reimbursement of the application fee.