Taxi/private hire car driver's licence

1. The driver of a private hire car shall have with them at all times while they are in charge of a private hire car being operated as such, their identification badge issued by the licensing authority, which shall be displayed conspicuously on their person or within the private hire car so that the whole printed information together with the photograph thereon shall be distinctly visible and accessible from within the private hire car and shall exhibit the identification badge upon demand, to any passenger, police constable or authorised officer of the licensing authority.  The identification badge issued by the licensing authority shall include the driver's name, a recent photograph showing his/her true likeness and the date on which the licence expires.  In the event of the identification badge being lost, damaged or destroyed, the driver shall, without undue delay, apply to the licensing authority for and meet the cost of a replacement.
2. The driver of a private hire car shall at all times, while he is in charge of a private hire car as such, have with him the private hire car driver's licence issued by the Licensing Authority and he shall exhibit such licence on demand to any passenger, police officer or authorised officer of the Council.
3. The driver of a private hire car, while he/she is in charge of the private hire car, shall not canvass or importune or otherwise ply for hire in any public place.
4. The driver of a private hire car, while carrying a passenger, shall be clean and tidy in his/her overall appearance and shall conduct him/herself in a proper and civil manner and shall refrain from smoking.
5. The driver of a private hire car shall take steps to reasonably ensure that the private hire car, including all bodywork, upholstery and fittings, is kept clean and in a safe and serviceable condition.
6. The driver of a private hire car shall not at any time convey in the private hire car, any more than the permitted number of passengers which the private hire car is licensed to carry.
7. The driver of a private hire car shall be bound to fulfil, or cause to be fulfilled, at the time and location specified, any engagement to hire his/her private hire car which he/she has accepted, unless prevented or delayed from doing so for good and sufficient reasons beyond their control.
8. The driver of a private hire car while engaged on an exclusive hire, shall not pick up or convey any other passenger(s) without the consent of the previous passenger(s) who engaged the hire.
9. The driver of a private hire car shall, if the cost of the journey is not regulated by a licensing authority fare structure, inform the hirer or passenger before the journey commences of (a) the fact that the fare is not so regulated; and (b) the cost, or the method of calculating the cost, of the proposed journey.
10. The driver of a private hire car engaged on an exclusive hire shall take reasonable steps to drive to the destination by the most direct route unless otherwise instructed by the hirer.  The driver of a private hire car engaged on a shared hire shall take reasonable steps to travel by the most direct route in order to reach the destinations of all the passengers whom he/she is carrying at any time.
11. The driver of a private hire car shall only operate on a shared hire basis after obtaining the consent of the passenger(s) who engaged the hire, notwithstanding display on the private hire car of any sign approved by the licensing authority indicating that the vehicle is available for shared hire. The holder of a private hire car licence shall not be required at the request of any passenger to operate on a shared hire basis, if no such sign was displayed on the vehicle when it was initially hired.
12. The driver of a private hire car operating on a shared hire basis may decline to accept a further passenger on the grounds that the destination of the first passenger could not be reached without contravening Condition 9 (requirement to drive to the passenger’s destination by the most direct route) or that the additional passenger’s luggage cannot be accommodated safely within the luggage compartment of the private hire car.
13. The driver of a private hire car operating on a shared hire basis shall accede to any reasonable request by one or more of his/her passengers to wait at a particular location only after obtaining the consent of all passengers in the private hire car at the time.
14. The driver of a private hire car shall take reasonable steps to ensure that any taximeter or similar automated charging device previously approved by the licensing authority which is fitted in the private hire car in his/her charge is in operation at all times within the licensed area when such operation is required, and in accordance with the requirements imposed and notified by the licensing authority.
15. The driver of a private hire car shall from time to time, being no less than once in each day on which he/she uses the vehicle, inspect the seals on any taximeter or similar approved charging device fitted in the vehicle to ensure that they are intact.  If any seal on a taximeter or similar approved charging device is found to be broken or damaged, or if the taximeter or similar device ceases to function correctly, the driver of the private hire car shall immediately withdraw the vehicle from service until the taximeter or similar approved charging device is repaired and thereafter tested by the licensing authority.
16. Where applicable, the driver of a private hire car shall take reasonable steps to ensure that any signage or other documentation relating to school or similar local authority contract hire of the vehicle is removed from public view once the children are dropped off at their destination. Any signage or other documentation in such cases should only be on public view immediately preceding the children being uplifted from the agreed collection point.
17. Subject to conditions 12 and 24 where a private hire car has been hired –

1. by or for a disabled person who is accompanied by a guide dog, hearing dog or an assistance dog; or
2. by a person who wishes such a disabled person to accompany them in the private hire car, and no exemption is in existence, the driver of the private hire car shall convey the disabled person’s dog, which shall be permitted to remain with the disabled person, without making any additional charge for so doing.
18. The driver of a private hire car shall give such assistance to any passenger(s) as he/she is able with loading and unloading luggage when requested to do so, however the private hire car driver shall not be required to leave the immediate proximity of the private hire car in doing so.
19. The driver of a private hire car shall not refuse to carry luggage in his/her private hire car provided that all luggage can be safely accommodated within the luggage compartment of the private hire car.
20. The driver of a private hire car shall, at the end of his/her shift, check inside the private hire car for any property which may have been left there.  Any property found by the driver shall, within 24 hours, be returned to the owner of the property if known, failing which to any local police station.
21. The driver of a private hire car shall not be obliged to convey any passenger(s) who in his/her reasonable opinion is drunk or under the influence of drugs or other substance or who is otherwise not in a fit and proper state to be safely and conveniently conveyed in the private hire car, or whose general condition or clothing is offensive or likely to cause damage to the interior of the private hire car, or who refuses to cease smoking in the private hire car when requested to do so by the driver, or who is accompanied by any animal (other than a guide dog, hearing dog or working/assistance dog) which in the opinion of the driver is likely to damage or soil the interior of the private hire car, or who he/she considers should not be conveyed on any other reasonable ground.
22. You must notify the licensing authority immediately if you are involved in an accident.
23. You must notify the licensing authority immediately if you have been convicted of an offence.
24. The driver of a private hire car shall not knowingly allow the private hire car in his/her charge to be used for illegal or immoral purposes or for the carriage of any article or substance which is filthy, noxious, explosive or dangerous, nor shall he/she carry any person who has vermin on his person
25. The driver of a private hire car who changes his/her address shall, within 14 days of any such change, give notice thereof and produce his/her licence to the licensing authority  for the particulars to be endorsed on the licence.
26. The driver of a private hire car who changes his/her employer shall, within seven days, give notice in writing of such change and produce to the licensing authority a Certificate of Insurance confirming that he/she is insured to drive for that employer.
27. The driver of a private hire car who ceases to act or to be employed as such for all or any part of the unexpired portion of his/her licence, or whose licence has expired, shall, within seven days of the occurrence, give notice in writing to that effect and deliver to the licensing authority his/her licence and identification badge.
28. In these conditions:

"licensing authority" means South Lanarkshire Council Licensing Authority, the administrative offices for which your licence was issued

 "exclusive", as applied to the hire of a private hire car means that a single fare is payable by any one passenger whether or not more than one passenger is carried; and

"exclusive hire" shall be construed accordingly.

"shared", as applied to the hire of a private hire car, means that each passenger is carried at a separate fare payable to the driver; and

"shared hire" shall be construed accordingly.