How to apply for a Hackney carriage or private hire vehicle licence
Private hire vehicles
A private hire vehicle is different to a Hackney carriage vehicle as its operator can only accept pre-arranged bookings for a journey or hire. Private hire vehicles cannot sit on a taxi rank, be used for hire in the street, and cannot be flagged down by anyone.
They can be identified by their internal and external plates which are yellow. These are displayed as follows:
- The external yellow plate is attached to the rear of the vehicle, usually on the bumper. This shows the private hire vehicle's licence number, make and model of the vehicle and licence expiry date
- The internal yellow plate or badge will be attached to the inside of the front windscreen on the left-hand side
The vehicle may have a roof sign, but it will not have the words: taxi, cab, Hackney carriage or for hire on it.
Before licensing a private hire vehicle with us, the owner of the vehicle must have applied for a private hire operator licence. Licensees should note the "three-licence rule", where driver, vehicle and operator must all be licensed by the same authority.
More information is on How to apply for a private hire operator licence
Novelty vehicles
We do not licence novelty vehicles, such as fire engines, ambulances, and other similar vehicles.
Dual plating
We do not dual plate private hire vehicles.
More information on dual plating
Last updated: 14/06/2023 15:47
