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Taxi Licensing FAQs

In this section

  1. Guidance for Taxi and Private Hire passengers
  2. Taxi and Private Hire Policy
  3. Apply for a New Driver, Operator or Vehicle Licence
  4. Vehicle changes and transfers
  5. Renewing your licence
  6. Taxi Safeguarding and Equalities Training
  7. Tax Conditionality Check
  8. Enhanced DBS Checks
  9. National Register of Taxi Licence Revocations, Suspensions and Refusals (NR3)
  10. Taxi and Private Hire Licence Fees 1st April 2026 to 31st March 2027
  11. Taxi Fares
  12. Taxi Newsletters and Useful Information
  13. Safety Tips for Taxi and Private Hire Drivers
  14. Right to licence check
  15. Taxi Licensing FAQs

What is a Hackney Carriage Vehicle?

  • It is a vehicle with a driver that is hired to take passengers from A to B for a payment or reward.
  • It cannot have more than 8 passenger seats.
  • The driver can pick up customers from taxi ranks in the district where the vehicle is licensed.
  • The vehicle can be flagged down and take immediate hires in the district where it is licensed ( this is known as plying for hire).
  • The vehicle can also be pre-booked in advance and take bookings for any location both inside and out of the district where it is licensed.
  • In Stroud District the hackney carriage vehicle must have a roof light with the word TAXI on it that illuminates when available for hire.
  • The vehicle must have a meter set to the Council rates.
  • A pre-booked journey does not need to be booked through an operator and can be booked direct with the driver or vehicle licence holder.
  • The driver and vehicle licence must be issued by the same Council.

What is a private hire vehicle?

  • It is a vehicle with a driver that takes passengers from A to B for payment or a reward.
  • It cannot have more than 8 passenger seats.
  • Journeys must pre-booked in advance through a private hire operator.
  • The driver cannot pick up an immediate hire from a rank or be flagged down (cannot ply for hire).
  • In Stroud District it is not permitted to display a roof sign on a private hire vehicle. 
  • It is not permitted to have the words taxi or cab on a private hire vehicle.
  • In Stroud District there can be a meter in the vehicle,  this is optional and when taking the booking it must be clear to the customer if the fare will be a set fare or if the meter will be running.
  • The driver, vehicle and operator licences must be issued by the same Council (triple lock rule).

Can a hackney carriage vehicle owner or driver of a hackney carriage vehicle take bookings?

  • Yes -  a hackney carriage licence holder can take a pre-booking for any pickup and drop points anywhere in the UK. 

Can a private hire operator take a booking for a journey outside of Stroud District?

  • Yes, a private hire operator can take a booking for any pickup point or drop off of anywhere in the UK.

Can a private hire vehicle owner or driver take a booking?

  • No,  all journeys using a private hire vehicle must be booked through the holder of a private hire operator licence.  Some vehicle owners and/or drivers  will have their own private hire operator licence.

Can a private hire operator pass a booking onto another operator?

  • Yes, a private hire operator can subcontract a booking to any other licensed private hire operator or to a hackney carriage licence holder. It does not have to be a private hire operator or hackney licence holder licensed by the same authority. The ‘triple lock rule’ still applies for private hire, so the operator that takes on the booking must use a vehicle and driver licensed with the same authority that issued their operator licence. For hackneys both the driver and vehicle must be licensed by the same authority.

Can I charge more for assisting a person with a wheelchair or disability?

  • No, under equality legislation you cannot charge more for assisting a person with a disability.  You also cannot charge for the time taken to load and unload the passenger if they are remaining seated in a wheelchair for the journey or for storing the wheelchair if they travel in the vehicle.

Can a vehicle be plated with more than one Council at a time?

  • No, a vehicle can only be licensed with one Council at a time because the different Councils have different conditions.

Can a driver be licensed by more than one Council at a time?

  • Yes, a driver can be licensed by more than one Council at the same time, many of the checks and requirements will be the same but you will have to apply separately to each Council.

Can I apply to Stroud District Council for a hackney carriage licence if I do not live in the Stroud District?

  • Yes, you can apply to Stroud District Council for a hackney driver licence and/or a hackney vehicle licence, even if you do not live in Stroud District. However, you will only be able to use ranks and take immediate hires within Stroud District. You can take pre-bookings from anywhere; however, we would expect that you will primarily work within Stroud district. The driver and vehicle licence must both be issued by Stroud District Council.

Can I apply to Stroud District Council for a private hire licence if I do not live in Stroud District?

  • You cannot apply to Stroud District Council for a private hire operator licence if you do not have a home or business address for the private hire business within Stroud District. If your home or business address is somewhere else, then you should apply to Council that your home or business address is in.
  • If you are applying for a vehicle and/or driver licence and will be working for a private hire operator based and licensed with Stroud District Council, then, you can apply to Stroud District Council even if you have a home address that is outside of Stroud District. This is because the triple lock rule applies to private hire. The rule is that the private hire operator, the vehicle and the driver must all be licensed by the same Council. A private hire operator can operate a number of drivers and vehicles but they must all by licensed by the same Council that issued the operator licence, even if the driver or vehicle owner lives outside of the licensing district.

Can a non-badge holder drive my licensed vehicle?

  • No, no-one, not even your spouse or family members, can drive your licensed vehicle unless they are also licensed. Even if they are named on your insurance, they still cannot legally drive your licensed vehicle.
  • The only exemption would be for a mechanic who needs to test drive your vehicle or identify a fault.

If I take the plate off my vehicle, can it be driven by a non-badge holder?

  • No, you should not be removing your plates from your vehicle whilst it is licensed, but even if you do, the vehicle is still considered a licensed vehicle in the eyes of the law and can only be driven by a person that holds the relevant driver licence issued by the same Council

When is a driver exempt from wearing a seat belt?

  • Hackney carriage drivers are exempt whilst carrying passengers in their vehicle or are waiting for hire in their district and whilst on their way to collect a pre-booked fare.
  • Private hire drivers are exempt only when carrying passengers in the vehicle. 
  • However, for your own safety we recommend that you always wear a seat belt, unless you feel you are at risk from your passengers whilst wearing one.

What are the rules around passengers and seatbelts?

  • The driver is responsible for making sure that children under 14 years old have their seatbelts on.
  • The driver is not responsible for adults and children over 14 but you should encourage all passengers to put on their seatbelts and check that they have had time to do so before you drive off.

What are the rules around children?

  • Children should travel on the rear seat.
  • Children under 3 do not have to wear a seat belt but children between 3 and 14 must have a seat belt on.
  • You are not required to provide booster seats

Can I smoke in my vehicle when I do not have customers?

  • No, neither the driver nor the passengers are allowed to smoke in a licensed vehicle. Even when you are driving without passengers, or using the vehicle for personal use, you will be committing an offence if you smoke in the vehicle and risk getting a fine.

Can I vape in my vehicle?

  • Smoking rules only apply to smoking something that produces smoke, such as a cigarette. The rules do not apply to vaping. This means that you are not committing any offence if you or your passengers vape in your vehicle.
  • The Government is currently considering amending the smoke free rules to include vaping

Can I refuse to take a guide or assistance dog?

  • By law you must not refuse to take guide or assistance dogs, and you cannot charge an extra fee. We take such refusals very seriously and have a zero-tolerance policy.  
  • The only exception would be if you have an exemption certificate for medical reasons.

How often do I have to have a Medical?

  • You will have a Group 2 medical when you first apply for your licence.  You will not need another medical until you reach the age of 45.   After that, you must have a new medical every five years up to the age of 65. If you are over 65 you must have a medical every year.  

Where can I get my medical done?

  • You must provide a satisfactory Group 2 medical certificate completed by either your own GP or you can use a medical practice that specialises in driver medicals. 
  • If you are not using your own GP, then you will need to get a summary medical record from either your GP or through your NHS app to take with you to your medical appointment so that the medical practitioner undertaking your medical can check your medical history. He/she will need to mark on the medical form that they have seen a summary of your medical Record. The Summary Medical Record should be no more than two months old at the time that it is provided to the medical practitioner undertaking the medical.

How often must I do Safeguarding and Equality training?

  • You must undertake safeguarding and equality training before you get a licence and then do it as a refresher every three years.
  • It must be training specifically for taxi and private hire drivers through one of our approved trainers.

I have bought a new vehicle, how do I change my licence?

  • We call this a change of vehicle. Your new vehicle must meet our vehicle requirements. Our current policy is that the vehicle must not be more than 7 years old. This will be worked out from the date the vehicle was registered as shown on the vehicle registration document.  If the vehicle is an Electric Vehicle or a Plug in Hybrid vehicle then there is no age limit. If the vehicle is a wheelchair accessible vehicle, then there is no age limit but the vehicle must be Euro 6 compliant or an Electric Vehicle.
  • You will need to complete a change of vehicle form, provide us with the relevant documents and pay the fee.
  • Your renewal date will remain the same as the previous vehicle you had licensed. If your vehicle licence is due for renewal soon then it may be cheaper to make a new vehicle application rather than apply for a change of vehicle and then have to make a renewal application soon after.
  • All the forms and full information for changing a vehicle  are on our web page Vehicle changes and transfers

I have bought a vehicle, that already has a plate, from another licence holder, what do I need to do?

  • We call this a vehicle transfer. You can make an application to transfer the vehicle licence into your name. You will need to complete a transfer of vehicle form and  provide us with the relevant documents and pay the fee.  The previous licence holder will need to email us or give you a letter showing consent to transfer the vehicle with its licence and plate to you.
  • All the forms and full information for transferring vehicle are on our web page Vehicle changes and transfers

Can I change my hackney carriage vehicle into a private hire vehicle or vice versa?

  • Yes, you can use the vehicle transfer application form to make this change.
  • If you are changing from a hackney carriage to a private hire you will have to remove the roof sign and any signage with the word taxi or cab. You can keep a meter in the vehicle if you wish, but you must put a sign saying 'This is a private hire vehicle’ within the vehicle. You will need to contact your insurance company and change the insurance from hackney or public hire use, to private hire use.
  • If you are changing from a private hire to a hackney carriage vehicle you will need to install a roof sign and meter. You will need to contact your insurance and change the insurance company from private hire use, to hackney or public hire use.
  • All the forms and full information for transferring vehicle  are on our web page Vehicle changes and transfers.

I want to put on a personalised plate (or take one off)?

  • We call this a change of registration. You will need to complete a change of registration form and  provide us with the relevant documents and pay the fee.  
  • All the forms and full information for changing the registration number of your vehicle   are on our web page Vehicle changes and transfers

I am a private hire driver but would like to change to a hackney carriage driver, how do I do this?

  • You will need to pass our knowledge test. Once you have passed your test we will convert your private hire driver licence to a dual hackney carriage and private hire driver licence. Please contact the licensing team to book a knowledge test. knowledge-test-guidance.pdf

I have moved house, what do I do?

  • If you move to a new address please email the new address to licensing@stroud.gov.uk and we will update your records and reissue you your licence.

Can I put CCTV in my vehicle that records my passengers inside the vehicle?

  • Yes, but you should ask us to approve it first
  • We only permit video recording and do not permit audio recording for general taxi and private hire work. However, you can have a panic button that allows you to switch on audio temporarily if you feel you are under threat.
  • You must put up signage saying that a CCTV system is in operation in the vehicle.
  • You will be holding personal data, and you will be considered the Data Controller. You must be registered with the Information Commissioners Office.  The link to register is here  https://ico.org.uk.
  • If you have a school contract through Gloucestershire County Council you will be required to have, as part of the terms of that contract, CCTV that is recording visual and audio for the contract journeys. We will permit this but for other journeys that are not a County Council Contract, you should switch off the audio facility or not use the CCTV.

Can I have a Dash Cam?

  • Yes, you can install a Dash Cam that records outside the vehicle. You do not need to tell us about this.
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