Taxi/private hire car operator's licence

• The holder of a private hire car licence shall take all reasonable steps to ensure that the private hire car, including all bodywork, upholstery and fittings, is maintained at all times in a safe and serviceable condition and, subject to prevailing road conditions, is kept, externally and internally, in a clean and tidy condition.
• The holder of a private hire car licence shall require to present the private hire car at the licensing authority’s appointed vehicle inspection centre, to undergo and pass an annual inspection, at such time and place as may be reasonably required by the licensing authority.  This requirement applies to all private hire vehicles up to five years old from date of first registration.  Any vehicle over five years old, will also require to undergo and pass an annual inspection as well as one random inspection each year.

On receiving the requisite notice of annual or random inspection in writing from the licensing authority, the licence holder shall present his/her private hire car for inspection at such time and place as may be reasonably required by the licensing authority.  The licence holder shall require to pay the licensing authority upon demand, the requisite fee for any vehicle inspection.  The level of fee for any vehicle inspection shall be set and may be varied from time to time by the licensing authority.

Notwithstanding the practice of the licensing authority to notify the licence holder of each annual inspection, it shall remain the duty of the licence holder at all times to maintain a record of the date when the next annual inspection falls due and to present the vehicle for inspection on or immediately prior to that date.

• In the event of the private hire car sustaining damage in a vehicular accident or by any other means, the licence holder shall as soon as practicable, report the damage to the licensing authority.  Upon written request by the licensing authority, the licence holder shall present the vehicle, where it remains roadworthy, to the licensing authority for inspection within two working days (excluding those days on which the vehicle testing facilities do not operate) after the accident.  The licensing authority reserves the right as soon as any repairs to the vehicle have been completed, to require that the vehicle shall again be presented to the licensing authority for inspection.
• You must notify the licensing authority immediately if you are involved in an accident.
• You must notify the licensing authority immediately if you have been convicted of an offence.
• The holder of a private hire car licence shall ensure that a valid and current certificate of insurance is in force for the vehicle licensed and that it is exhibited to the licensing authority as soon as is reasonably practicable after any existing certificate has expired.
• The holder of a private hire car licence shall hold in his/her own name, the requisite vehicle registration document and certificate of insurance (as required by Part VI of the Road Traffic Act 1988) for the vehicle.  Where the name of more than one person appears on the private hire car licence, the vehicle registration document and certificate of insurance shall be in the name of at least one of those persons.  On receiving notice in writing from the licensing authority or at the request of any authorised officer of the licensing authority or any police officer, the holder of a private hire car licence shall produce to the licensing authority, without undue delay, the registration document and/or certificate of insurance for the vehicle, and in addition, if required, shall produce for inspection all previous certificates of insurance establishing that the vehicle has been insured throughout the duration of the licence.
• The holder of a private hire car licence shall keep an up-to-date list of the names and addresses of all private hire car drivers employed by him/her.  Such list shall be produced on demand to the licensing authority or any authorised officer of the licensing authority or to any police officer.  In addition, the holder of a private hire car licence shall ensure that the insurance effective in respect of the private hire car operated by him/her covers all those driving the vehicle for the carriage of passengers for hire or renewal.  Where those authorised to drive the vehicle are named on an insurance policy, the licence holder shall, as soon as is reasonably practicable, notify the licensing authority of the names of all authorised drivers added or removed from the policy.
• The holder of a private hire car licence shall not ask the driver of a private hire car to do anything which would result in the driver committing a breach of the conditions attaching to the grant of his/her licence.
• The holder of a private hire car licence shall take reasonable steps to ensure that while the vehicle is in use as a private hire car, any plates or other insignia which have been issued by the licensing authority for the purpose of indicating that the vehicle is a private hire car, are displayed at all times on the vehicle at those locations approved by the licensing authority and notified to the licence holder.
• The holder of a private hire car licence shall not obscure or deface any plate or other insignia displayed on the vehicle which has been issued by the licensing authority for the purpose of indicating that the vehicle is a private hire car.  If any such plate or other insignia for any reason is obscured or defaced or becomes illegible or if any such plate or other insignia is lost, the licence holder shall report this to the licensing authority as soon as practicable, such that a replacement plate or other insignia can be issued.
• Subject to Condition 10, the holder of a private hire car licence shall not display on his/her private hire car without the prior written approval in writing of the licensing authority any signage for the purpose of advertising the services provided as a private hire car.
• The holder of a private hire car licence shall not display a roof sign of any kind on his/her private hire car.
• Where applicable, the holder of a private hire car licence shall take reasonable steps to ensure that any signage or other documentation relating to school or similar local authority related 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 circumstances should only be on public view immediately preceding the children being uplifted from the agreed collection point.
• Where the holder of a private hire car licence has fitted to the private hire car a taximeter or similar automated charging device, it shall only be of a type previously approved in writing by the licensing authority and shall be fitted in the vehicle at a location approved in like manner.

The licence holder, where such a charging device is fitted, shall not use, or cause or permit to be used, on the private hire car, a road wheel or tyre of a different circumference from that in respect of which the approved charging device was designed, geared and tested by the licensing authority.

In addition, the approved charging device must be stamped or sealed by the licensing authority after testing over the pre-determined distance and time in accordance with the approved scale of fares and charges for taxis licensed by the licensing authority.  The licence holder, or any other person acting on his/her behalf, shall not tamper with the approved charging device or break or tamper with any seal or stamp on such device or any attachment affixed thereto by the manufacturer or licensing authority, except to remove the device for repair or replacement, in which event it shall be re-tested by the licensing authority before the vehicle is used again as a private hire car.  No taximeter or other approved charging device shall remain in use on a vehicle for any longer than one year from the date when it was originally tested without being re-tested by the licensing authority and the licence holder shall be liable to pay the fee charged by the licensing authority in either case.

The licence holder shall not knowingly operate the vehicle, or cause or permit it to be operated, while the taximeter or other approved charging device is in any way defective or while any seal affixed to it is broken or detached.

Should the taximeter or other approved charging device be removed from the private hire car for any reason, the licence holder shall inform the licensing authority within two working days from the date of its removal.

• The licence holder shall not carry in his/her private car, any more than the number of passengers permitted by the licensing authority in terms of this licence.
• The holder of a private hire car licence, whose private hire car is fitted with a taximeter, shall obtain from the Council a notice or notices detailing the approved maximum fares and charges appropriate for exclusive and shared use of a private hire car and shall display the notice or notices as appropriate in the passenger compartment of the private hire car fitted with a taximeter in such a position that it or they shall be readily visible to the passengers being carried and no other notice or notices of fares charges shall be displayed.
• The holder of a private hire car licence shall take all reasonable steps to fulfil at the time and location specified by the hirer, an 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.
• The holder of a private hire car licence shall take reasonable steps to ensure that any prospective hirer of his/her private hire car is informed, prior to acceptance of the hire, of the cost, or method of calculating the cost, of the proposed journey to the stated destination which shall be, as far as reasonably practicable, over the shortest route.
• The holder of a private hire car licence shall take reasonable steps to ensure that each prospective hirer of his/her private hire car consents, at the time of  arrangement of the hire, to an exclusive hire or a shared hire as the case may be.
• The holder of a private hire car licence shall at all times carry a fire extinguisher securely fastened inside the vehicle which shall be of a type and in a position approved and notified to the licence holder by the licensing authority.
• The holder of a private hire car licence shall not install a two-way radio or similar communication device in the vehicle, the base of operation or control point of which is situated outwith the boundary of the particular zone in which the vehicle is licensed to operate.
• The licence holder shall carry on business from the address within the zone of South Lanarkshire Council as appears on this licence and in the event that he/she no longer carries on business in the said zone, he/she shall, within seven days of such change of circumstances, notify in writing and deliver to the licensing authority his/her private hire car licence, car plate and disc.
• Where the holder of a private hire car licence changes the address or the place from which he/she carries on business, he/she shall, within fourteen days of such change, give notice thereof and produce his/her licence to the licensing authority such that the particulars can be endorsed on the licence.
• In the event that the holder of a private hire car licence ceases to operate as such, whether permanently or for a period of more than three months of the unexpired portion of the licence, or where the licence has expired, the licence holder shall, within seven days of such event, give notice thereof and deliver his/her private hire car licence, car plates and disc to the licensing authority who shall deem it to have been surrendered in terms of Paragraph 13(1) of Schedule 1 to the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982.
• 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.