A 'Hackney Carriage' is more commonly called a
Taxi. It is the responsibility of the Council to regulate the
number of Hackney Carriages it licences.
This licence is required for any chauffeur-driven
hire vehicle that will ply for hire, be flagged down or hired at a
taxi rank. Once licensed a taxi is always a taxi until the licence
expires. These vehicles have a roof sign and display a white plate
on the rear of the vehicle.
Before a vehicle is licensed it must pass an MOT
and garage test to ensure its safety. We issue licences for taxis
and ensure that the vehicles are suitable and adequately insured to
ensure high standards of safety.
Also, the licence is issued subject to the
following conditions:
Identification Plates
The identification plate shall remain the
property of the Council at all times and shall be affixed to the
exterior rear of the vehicle and shall be maintained and kept in
such condition that the information printed on the plate is clearly
visible to the public at all times.
Maintenance of Vehicle
The vehicle and all its fittings and equipment
shall at all times when the vehicle is in use or available for hire
be kept in an efficient, safe, tidy and clean condition and all
relevant statutory requirements (including in particular those
contained in Motor Vehicles Construction and use Regulations) shall
be fully complied with.
Alteration of Vehicle
No material alteration or change in the
specification, design, condition or appearance of the vehicle shall
be made without the approval of the Council at any time while the
licence is in force.
Passengers
The proprietor of a hackney carriage shall not
convey or permit to be conveyed in a licensed vehicle any greater
number of persons than that prescribed on the licence issued by the
Council and on the licence plate affixed to the rear of the
vehicle. The driver shall not allow there to be conveyed in the
front of a hackney carriage any child below the age of 10 years, or
more than two people above that age. The driver shall not without
the consent of the hirer of a vehicle convey or permit to be
conveyed any other person in that vehicle.
Animals
The proprietor shall not permit any animals to
ride in the vehicle except an animal in the custody or control of
the hirer, which animal shall be conveyed in the rear of the
vehicle.
Safety Equipment
Luggage Rack
A suitable rack must be fitted in estate type
vehicles to prevent luggage entering the passenger compartment
should the vehicle stop suddenly.
Fire Extinguisher
These shall be provided and maintained at all
times a suitable and efficient fire extinguisher (1.0 kg) to meet
BSEN 31996 (BS 5423) which shall be securely fixed to the vehicle
and to be readily visible and available for immediate use in an
emergency.
Communications Equipment
Two Way Radios
The proprietor shall ensure that any radio
equipment fitted to the private hire vehicle is at all times kept
in a safe and sound condition and maintained in proper working
order.
Mobile Telephones
Mobile telephones may only be used with a
hands-free kit. Ideally this kit should be a hard wired,
professionally fitted facility within the vehicle.
Taximeters
The proprietor shall ensure the vehicle is fitted
with a taximeter approved by the Council, and that meter shall be
maintained in a sound mechanical condition at all times. The
taximeter shall be set for the current tariff agreed by the Council
and shall be sealed to prevent unauthorised adjustment of that
meter. The proprietor shall ensure the "For Hire " sign or other
illuminated sign is extinguished when the fare commences, and the
taximeter brought into operation.
Fare Tables
The proprietor shall ensure that a copy of the
current fare table supplied by the Council is on display inside the
hackney carriage at all times and that table is not concealed from
view or rendered illegible when the vehicle is for hire.
Vehicle Insurance
At all times during the currency of the Licence
the proprietor shall keep in force in relation to the use of the
vehicle as a hackney carriage a Policy of insurance complying with
the requirements of Part V1 of the Road Traffic Act 1984. The
proprietor shall produce to the Council a new Certificate of
Insurance or cover note within 7 days of the expiry of every
Certificate of Insurance or cover note prior to renewal date.
Convictions
The proprietor shall within seven days disclose
to the Council in writing details of any conviction imposed on him
(or, if the proprietor is a company or partnership, on any of the
directors or partners) during the period of the insurance.
Change of Address
Any proprietor changing his place of abode must
give notice in writing to the Council within seven days of such
change.
Cheques
A licence in respect of which the fee has been
paid by cheque shall not be effective until the cheque has been
cleared.
Display of Terms and Conditions
The proprietor of the vehicle shall at all times
when the vehicle is being used by fare-paying passengers have
within the vehicle for inspection by those passengers a copy of
these terms and conditions.