Vehicle licence

Type of vehicle

A private hire vehicle licence is required for a vehicle that wishes to be pre-booked. All private hire vehicles must be driven by a person who holds a HCV/PHV drivers licence.

We can only issue a private hire vehicle licence for vehicles that operate within the district.

A hackney carriage vehicle licence is required for a vehicle which can:

• apply for hire
• stand on a rank
• be hailed in the street
• be pre-booked

All hackney carriage vehicles must be driven by a person who holds a HCV/PHV drivers badge. We can only issue hackney carriage vehicle licences for vehicles that operate within the district.

All vehicles will be subject to inspection.

For information on Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles, see our Licensing Public Register page.

Approved garages

Before making an application your vehicle must pass an MOT and a council vehicle test at one of our approved garages.

The test is to ensure your vehicle meets the specifications of our licence conditions and passes a UK MOT test. This will then be required every 6 months.

As a renewal applicant, you should ensure your vehicle completes and passes these tests by the expiry date of your current licence.

You must make the appointment and payment for all tests directly to the garage.

VAT and retest fees may be applied.

Apply for, renew or transfer a vehicle licence

You can apply for a vehicle licence using our online form:

Change of details

Notify us of any change of details or request a replacement licence, badge or plate.

Report a collision or damage

You can report a collision or damage using our online form.

Please note you will be required to have an account to report your collision to enable you to save your form and come back to it at a later time.

Policy

See our Licensing Policy page for our current Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Policy that came into force on 1 April 2024.

Last updated 15 May 2025