Private Hire Vehicle Licence

Private Hire Vehicles cannot ply for hire in the street or at taxi ranks. Journeys must be pre-booked, normally by phone or in person at a cab office. Failure to do so is an offence and invalidates the vehicle's insurance cover. Fares for private hire vehicles are not regulated by the Council - the cost of a journey will normally be based on a rate per mile or should be agreed with the company before the journey.

Private Hire Vehicles licensed by the Council must display a blue plate on the rear and a smaller internal plate. Roof signs are not permitted. Private Hire drivers must also wear an ID badge issued by the Council, which includes his/her photograph.

There are many different laws affecting proprietors and vehicles but the main Act of Parliament covering the licensing of Private Hire Vehicles is Part II of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976.

Vehicles to be licensed must be mechanically suitable. The mechanical condition is to be conformed by a detailed inspection undertaken at the expense of the proprietor at the Council's designated testing stations; details of which can be found below.

Your car must be insured for private hire work.

Throughout your application, you must be honest in supplying information to us and must not, under any circumstances, make a false statement at any time to obtain your vehicle licence. This is a serious offence.

Technical specifications for private hire vehicles

There are many different makes and styles of vehicle on the road today. Not all vehicles would be suitable for use as a private hire vehicle and the Council will assess your vehicle to decide whether or not it is suitable for use as a private hire vehicle.

What information must you provide to us?

To help us consider your application it is our policy for you to show us:

• that the proprietor (or company) making the application has an operating base within the City Council's area.
• that the proprietor making the application holds a private hire driver's licence issued by this authority.

You will also need to produce the following documents:

• vehicle registration document - we cannot process your application without seeing this document.
• MOT Certificate (if applicable).
• policy or cover note of insurance covering the vehicle for "public and/or private use" for you and/or your drivers.
• that your vehicle is mechanically suitable. Your vehicle must pass an inspection carried out by a qualified mechanic (see legal requirements). The vehicle will also be subject to a visual inspection carried out by an authorised Licensing Officer of the Council.
• that you have an efficient and approved fire extinguisher suitable for use on motor vehicles.

Testing stations

All vehicles must be tested at one of the following testing stations:

• BEST Autocentres Ltd, Unit 8 Winchester Trade Park, Easton Lane, Winchester, SO23 7FA
  Tel: 01962 866 977
• Citroen Freeborn Winchester, Unit 1 Barfield Close, Winchester, SO23 9SQ
  Tel: 01962 840 888
• W. J. Heard Motor Repairs, Shore Lane, Bishops Waltham, Southampton SO32 1DY
  Tel: 01489 895 607

The testing fee of £60 will be payable by you directly to the garage at the time of the test. The testing stations are permitted to charge for re-tests and missed appointments. The fee for a re-test is £22 if re-tested within three working days and £60 for all other re-tests.

How to apply

To make an application for a Private Hire Vehicle licence, please complete the application form found below and book an appointment with Licensing 01962 848 238. Please ensure all of the documents above are at the appointment, with the fee of £167.

If you have any difficulty with any of the forms or have any questions, please contact us by email licensing@winchester.gov.uk or telephone 01962 848 188 or 848 179.

Application forms are available to download below. Please note that if you wish to fill the form in electronically, you can do this by downloading the Word documents. A signature is required for all applications. To fill the form in manually, please download the adobe versions below.

Downloads:

File format	File title	File size / Download time
	Application for Private Hire Vehicle Licence	25K 56Kbps Modem: 4 Seconds Broadband: 1 Second
	Application for Private Hire Vehicle Licence	50K 56Kbps Modem: 7 Seconds Broadband: 1 Second
	Statement of Licensing Policy	138K 56Kbps Modem: 20 Seconds Broadband: 1 Second
	Private Hire Vehicle conditions of licence	88K 56Kbps Modem: 13 Seconds Broadband: 1 Second