Street Care

The Council licences both Hackney Carriages (TAXIS) and private hire vehicles (minicabs).

• Current Hackney Carriage Owners

Both categories of vehicles must

• comply with our vehicle criteria,
  
• carry a fire extinguisher,
  
• carry a first aid kit, and
  
• pass a test of roadworthiness.

No private hire vehicle older than 7 years can initially be licensed. The current licence fee for Hackney Carriages is £172.00 and for private hire vehicles £154.00. This includes an internal and external plate for hackney carriages and an external plate for private hire vehicles. Both licences are for no longer than six months. Brackets or Magnets may also be required for the vehicle, current fee £15.00.

Now the Council has delimited Hackney Carriages you may apply to put such a vehicle on the road. The vehicle must be under 4 years old, and comply with the Milton Keynes Council Conditions of Fitness in that it must be a London Style Vehicle capable of the carriage of a wheelchair bound passenger. The Conditions of fitness are available on request

Both Hackney Carriage and private hire drivers are normally licensed for three years, current fee for a hackney carriage driver is £184.00 and a private hire driver £136.00. New applicants must first undertake an Induction course and pass a test of knowledge of the area, current fee £354.00.

All applicants must satisfy the Council that they are entitled to work in the United Kingdom. They must also be medically certified as to their fitness to drive, examination fee £46.00, must have held a current DVLC drivers licence granted under Part 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 for at least one year and also must undergo a criminal record check for which a minimum charge of £47.00 will be made.

If they have any convictions and/or cautions for motoring or other offences, applicants will be interviewed to establish whether they are “fit and proper” persons to be licensed. NB. If an applicant has convictions and/or cautions he or she can elect to have the criminal record check first. However, if the applicant elects not to do so and convictions and/or cautions are subsequently found which bar the grant of a licence no refund of fees will be made. Checks are always made and applicants should be aware the Council has the power in law to refuse applications in certain circumstances.

Private hire operators are licensed annually, current annual fee £272.00 and must establish that they are “fit and proper” persons before being granted a licence.

A private hire driver may only obtain bookings from a licensed operator and must sign a declaration to that effect on the application form. Having obtained a licence and before commencing work the licence holder must ensure the Council is aware of the name of the operator from whom bookings are obtained.

You can complete the Information pack application form for both Hackney and Private hire if you need more details about vehicle criteria notes, guidelines as to the relevance of convictions, and advice on fire extinguishers and first aid kits.

You should note that the process of obtaining a driver licence will on average take six to eight weeks if all stages are completed succesfully - however delays are possible regarding return of criminal record checks. The first stage is to successfully pass the Induction course and knowledge test, and details of this can also be obtained from TAXI LICENSING SECTION 01908 252860.

The procedure to be followed is shown in this diagram.


When you are ready to take the Induction course and knowledge test please telephone TAXI LICENSING SECTION 01908 252860 to arrange an appointment to produce your

• birth certificate or passport,
  
• proof of national insurance number,
  
• driving licence (card & paper counterpart),
  
• application forms photos (two per licence required) and
  
• pay the appropriate fee.

PLEASE NOTE A TEMPORARY NATIONAL INSURANCE NUMBER OR AN OLD BRITISH VISITORS PASSPORT WILL NOT BE ACCEPTABLE.

A cancellation charge of £35.00 will be made if 72 hours notice of cancellation of an Induction Course or knowledge test is not received

In the meantime, if you require any more assistance, please feel free to telephone
TAXI LICENSING SECTION 01908 252860 . However, be prepared to leave your name and number plus the nature of your query should a staff member not be immediately available.

The postal address for taxi licensing is:-

Taxi Licensing
Bleak Hall
Chesney Wold
Milton Keynes
MK6 1LY
Current Hackney Carriage Owners

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