New hackney carriage and private hire vehicle licence

Any vehicles taking pre-booked work for a private hire operator must be licensed with South Norfolk Council.

If you are purchasing a new vehicle please contact the licensing team prior to purchase to ensure that it is suitable to be licensed.

All vehicles must comply with the council’s policy and conditions and be suitable to be used as a hackney carriage or private hire vehicle. All new vehicles must be less than 5 years old at the time the application is submitted to the licensing team. The age of the vehicle is determined by the date of first registration shown on the V5C or bill of sale.

You must ensure that the vehicle is taxed before applying to renew the vehicle licence.

Application and guidance notes

Before you apply online you will need the following documents:

• insurance certificate or cover note demonstrating the vehicle is insured for hackney carriage and/or private hire purposes
• MOT (this should be dated within 30 days of the date of the application)
• mechanical check-list (taxi test) which can be carried out at one of the 4 nominated testing stations (this should be dated within 30 days of the date of the application)
• V5C (DVLA logbook) for the vehicle or a bill of sale. The bill of sale must include the date of first registration. If a bill of sale is produced, the full V5C must be produced within a calendar month from the date the licence is granted.
• if the vehicle is fitted with a mechanical hoist/winch and/or ramp you will need to provide a Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) certificate.
• a basic disclosure for any applicant named on the application form who does not hold a combined hackney carriage and private hire licence issued by South Norfolk Council.
• for hackney carriages only - a meter certificate carried out at one of the approved meter suppliers.

All hackney carriage vehicles must be fitted with a roof light with the word Taxi on the front and rear of the roof light and a taxi meter.

The vehicle may not be used for hire unless the taxi meter has been tested and approved by the council or their authorised agents. All taxi meters must comply with the following:

• all hackney carriage vehicles require a calendar controlled tariff taxi meter
• a copy of the current table of fares supplied by the council clearly displayed inside the vehicle at all times
• it must be calibrated and sealed with a tamper evidence seal following a change to the table of fares

Once a valid application has been received, the licensing team will be in contact with you to arrange an inspection of your vehicle before a licence can be granted.

Fee

You will need to pay the application fee by credit or debit card as part of the online application process which is £265 for a 12 month licence.

Processing and timescales

Following a successful application and vehicle inspection please allow up to 15 clear working days for the licence to be issued. You will be required to collect the licence plate and roundels from the council office in person or send a representative. ID is required before the items are issued. Please note if you are sending a representative you will need to provide us with their name beforehand.