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Taxi and private hire vehicle licence

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On this page, you will find the following sections:

Types of vehicle licences

There are 2 types of annual vehicle licence in Ashfield - for Hackney carriages (taxis) and for private hire vehicles. You must have the right licence for your vehicle before you use it - this will depend on the type of work you plan to do.

All of the information relating to vehicle licensing for applicants can be found within our vehicle application pack.

As well as a vehicle licence you need to be licensed as a driver (by the same council the vehicle is licensed by) and if you work for a private hire company they must have an operator licence with Ashfield District Council.

We regularly carry out check to make sure licensed vehicles are safe, and meet high standards visually and mechanically.

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Vehicle age limits and emission standards

Please note the following information so that you understand the basic information when looking to get a vehicle to use

  1. Under no circumstances will we licence any vehicle that has been classed as an insurance write-off. An HPI Report must be provided with all new vehicle applications to prove this.
  2. All vehicles being licensed with us for the first time must be under 12 years of age as stated in the V5 log book. However if a vehicle is aged 5 years old or more, then additional requirements must be undertaken in order for us to accept such a vehicle application.
  3. Any vehicle put forward for a new Hackney Carriage Vehicle licence must be a wheelchair accessible vehicle. This means that the vehicle must be able to carry the passenger whilst they remain seated in the wheelchair.
  4. Vehicles put forward for a new Private Hire Vehicle licence do not need to be wheelchair accessible vehicles if under 5 years of age, but if 5 years old or more, the following criteria is applicable:
    • it must be either a fully wheelchair accessible vehicle, or be a low emission vehicle (this means that if its date of first registration is before 1 April 2017, it must not have CO2 emissions higher than 120; and if its date of first registration is 1 April 2017 or newer (but still aged 5 years old or more), then it must not have CO2 emissions higher than 75. You can find the date of first registration and the CO2 emissions information on the V5 log book).
    • the vehicle application must be supported by an independent auto-engineer report stating it is in “exceptional condition” – you can obtain one of these from any garage of your choice, but it must be done on their business headed paper and state that your car is in “exceptional condition”.

The full standards and criteria for vehicles licensed by us can be found in the vehicle application pack in the related documents section of this page.

You are strongly advised to read the vehicle application pack, to ensure that any vehicle you want to buy, will meet our vehicle licensing requirements.

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How to licence a vehicle for the first time

Follow these 3 steps:

Step one: Book a Vehicle Compliance Test

    1. Book a compliance test with one of our 11 accredited test stations. The test station will need to take some information from you about the vehicle when making the booking (this information will be available on your V5 Log Book).
    2. Pay the £65.00 compliance test fee to the test station you select when you make your booking.
    3. Make a note of the time and date of the compliance test, and the address of the test station that you will be taking the vehicle to.

    Step two: Book a Vehicle virtual appointment

    1. Straight after securing your compliance test slot, call the Licensing Team, to book a vehicle virtual appointment (this is for you to obtain a time and date on which you will submit your new vehicle licence application and all relevant supporting documents).
      • telephone: 01623 457589
    2. Make a note of the time and date of the vehicle virtual appointment.

    Step three: Making the Vehicle licence application

    1. Download the vehicle application pack, and the vehicle application form found in the related documents section of this page.
    2. Read Page 4 of the vehicle application pack – this provides you with instructions on how to send your application to the Licensing Team on the date of your vehicle virtual appointment and exactly what documents must be sent.
    3. One of the items you must send the Licensing Team on the date of the vehicle virtual appointment is proof that you have paid for the vehicle licence application fee. This must be paid using our online payment portal. Choose the payment option that is the right one for the type of vehicle licence application you will be making:

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How to renew a vehicle licence

We will send you a reminder 2 months before your vehicle renewal is due, however the full procedure as to how to renew can be found on Page 5 of the vehicle application pack, which can be downloaded from the related documents section of this page.

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How to change the vehicle currently licensed if you buy another vehicle to replace it

The procedure to change the vehicle that is currently licensed to a different vehicle can be found at Page 7 of the vehicle application pack (see the related documents section of this page for the pack).

The procedure is very similar to the procedure to licence a new vehicle, however, if the vehicle that is currently licensed is a non-wheelchair accessible vehicle, then if you replace it with a vehicle that is under 5 years of age, then you have what are know as “grandfather rights”, which means the car you will be buying to replace the current one can also be a non-wheelchair accessible vehicle.

To all other extent and purposes, the same criteria for vehicles put forward for a new vehicle licence applies to a “change of vehicle” licence application.

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How to transfer the ownership of a licensed vehicle

Selling a licensed vehicle

If you sell a licensed vehicle you must always let us know. However, if you sell a licensed vehicle to someone else so that they can continue to use it as a Hackney Carriage Vehicle or as a Private Hire Vehicle and they “take over” the licence plate, you must notify us by email, stating to whom you sold the vehicle and when you sold it to them.

Buying a licensed vehicle - Transfer of ownership

If you buy a licensed vehicle from someone else to use as your Hackney Carriage Vehicle or Private Hire vehicle, this is called a “Transfer of ownership”, and you will need to make an application for the vehicle licence to be transferred into your name.

The procedure that you need to follow to make your “Transfer of ownership” application can be found on Page 7 of the vehicle application pack (see the related documents section of this page for the pack).

There is no fee to pay for any “Transfer of ownership”, but you must make the application within 14 days of the seller having notified us that you are the new owner of the licensed vehicle.

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How much does it cost?

There are a number of costs involved in licensing a vehicle for use as a taxi or for private hire.

You can pay these fees online, using a debit or credit card, once you've submitted your application to us.

Type of licence or item Cost (£)
Hackney Carriage vehicle licence: New, renewal or change of vehicle £190.00
Private hire vehicle licence: New, renewal or change of vehicle £170.00
Transfer
(Change of proprietor of vehicle)		 £0.00
Discount for low emission vehicle or wheelchair accessible vehicle - £30.00
Certificate of compliance test / re-test
(at Council Motor transport depot)		 £65.00
Independent Auto-Engineer report
(at Council Motor transport depot)		 £81.90
Replacement licence plate £29.00
Plate holding bracket
(at Council Motor transport depot)		 £10.00
Amendment to licence £15.00
Copy of licence £5.00

Pay for your application

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How to book your Vehicle Compliance Test

There are 11 accredited test stations that you can choose from to book your compliance test.

You will be required to pay the £65.00 compliance test fee when you make the booking with the accredited test station you pick.

Test stations

Test station Address Telephone number
Ashfield District Council Motor Transport Depot Station Road, Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, NG17 5HB 01623 457411
Auto Service & Recovery Limited Unit 2 & 3 Rington Court, Nunn Brook Rise, Huthwaite, Nottinghamshire, NG17 2PD 01623 510570
Forest Road MOT & Service Centre 81 Forest Road, Skegby, Nottinghamshire, NG17 3BL 01623 239736
Jim Smith Autocentre Unit C1 Field Industrial Estate, Clover Street, Kirkby in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, NG17 7LH 01623 753022
Kyles Corner Automotive Ltd 2 Carnarvon Grove, Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, NG17 2HH 01623 441410
Lindleys Auto Centres Limited Station Street, Kirkby in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, NG17 7AQ 01623 855910
Lines Motor Repairs Limited 37 Derbyshire Lane, Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, NG15 7JX 01159 632322
Middlebrook Garage 4 Middlebrook Road, Underwood, Nottinghamshire, NG16 5HA 01773 810263
Premier Service Centre Limited Alfreton Road, Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, NG17 1FW 01623 554456
Southwell Lane Garage Unit 1A, Southwell Lane, Kirkby in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire NG17 8EY 01623 456519
Station Motors (Sutton) Limited Station Road, Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, NG17 5HF 01623 554066
Sutton Auto & Tyre Centre 1 Downing Street, Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, NG17 4EF 01623 550484

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Loss of a licence plate

If you lose the licence plate from your vehicle let us know as soon as possible so we can send a replacement. This costs £29.

If you need a plate holder bracket too these cost an extra £10; you can collect these from the Council Motor Transport Department.

You can pay through our online system, using a debit or credit card.

Pay for a replacement licence plate

Other ways to contact us about taxi and private hire vehicle licences

If you have a question about licensing or want to make a complaint about a taxi or private hire operator, vehicle or driver, you can contact us by:

Related documents: