Hackney carriage (taxis) and private hire

We are responsible for the licensing and enforcement of hackney carriages (taxis) and private hire vehicle, driver and operator licences

Under the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 and Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 any vehicles which sit on the taxi ranks in Kenilworth, Royal Leamington Spa and Warwick or ply for hire in the area of the former Warwick Rural District Council and their drivers need to be licensed by this council.

Under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 any person who makes provision for the invitation or acceptance of bookings for private hire vehicles in the district needs to be licensed.

The purpose of licensing is to ensure the safety of the public by ensuring that drivers are fit and proper and that the vehicles they drive are safe, suitable, and reliable.

There are different types of licence:

Difference between hackney carriage and private hire

Visit our frequently asked questions for the differences between a hackney carriage and private hire vehicles, such as pre-booking requirements.

Licensing of other vehicles

We are not responsible for licensing the following vehicles:

Wedding and funeral car
Novelty vehicles, including limousines
Public service vehicles (PSV)
Vehicles carrying nine or more passengers
Any other type of vehicle licence

For further information concerning these vehicles, contact the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency

Passengers with disabilities

The majority of hackney carriage vehicles licensed in Warwick district have access for wheelchairs. They have a ramp or set of parallel ramps to enable access for wheelchairs into the vehicle. The wheelchair must be shackled to the bulkhead and or floor using the two restraining straps, and the seatbelt extension belt should then be used for the passenger. Please note that wheelchairs must not be carried sideways in vehicles and must be correctly restrained.

As these vehicles are larger, they can be further from the ground. Therefore, the vehicles also have steps which allow passengers to easy access and egress from the vehicle.

The Warwick District Council, at its Executive Committee Meeting on 1 November 2017 agreed to adopt the provisions of Part 12 of the Equality Act 2010. See the Warwick District Council position on the Act. You can view a full list of wheelchair accessible hackney carriage and private hire vehicles, designated for the purposes of section 165 of the Act.

Our policies

Our policies set out how licence applications will be decided and the factors that will be taken into account when deciding to grant or refuse a licence. Download the council's policies.

In adopting the provisions of Part 12 of the Equality Act 2010, Warwick District Council has had regard to the guidance issued by the Secretary of State under section 167(6) of the Equality Act 2010. This guidance will be incorporated in the Private Hire and Hackney Carriage Drivers, Vehicles and Operators Handbook: WDC Approach, Policies and Procedures, as part of the document review process. See the Warwick District Council position on the Act.

Checks carried out to ensure licence conditions are followed

Officers routinely conduct fleet inspections and enforcement events to ensure that the conditions of licences are being followed. These are undertaken both proactively and reactively. Any licence holder that is found not to be operating in accordance with their licence conditions will receive appropriate action as described by the Enforcement policy (Word doc).

Any person, vehicle, or organisation found to be operating without the appropriate licence will receive appropriate action as described in the Enforcement policy (Word).

Complaints against licence holders

If you wish to complain about a licence holder, contact us at one of the following:

Complete the taxi complaint form
Phone 01926 456705
Safer Communities, Leisure and Environment, Warwick District Council, Town Hall, Parade, Royal Leamington Spa, CV32 4AT

We licence over 300 drivers and 300 vehicles, therefore identification of the driver and vehicle is extremely important. In order to deal with a complaint, we require the following information as a minimum:

Description of driver
Registration number or WDC licence plate number
Time
Date
Details of incident

When working, the driver must be wearing their licence badge and have it visible. This badge shows their name, photograph, and licence number. Drivers must also display a larger copy of their badge within the vehicle.

Vehicles licence plates are affixed to the rear of the vehicle and a small copy of the plate visible in the front windscreen. Hackney carriage plates are white and purple. Private hire vehicles are yellow. Other authorities' plate colourings are likely to be different.

Officers will conduct an investigation and determine the appropriate course of action in accordance with the enforcement policy. Appropriate courses of action include:

No action
Advice
Warning
Formal action (caution/prosecution)
Referral to committee

The Licensing and Regulatory Committee has the powers to refuse, revoke or suspend licences.

Unfortunately, we DO NOT have the powers to enforce the following matters but welcome your comments regarding:

Parking infringements (e.g. parking on double yellow lines or double-parking). Please contact Warwickshire County Council
Obstruction (e.g. causing obstruction on the public highway, including parking too near road junctions). For obstruction infringements contact Warwickshire Police
Traffic offences (e.g. using hand-held mobile phone while driving, road rage, careless or dangerous driving). Please contact Warwickshire Police
Criminal offences (e.g. assault, threats, harassment, theft of mobile phone, indecency). Please contact Warwickshire Police
Running a vehicle engine and sounding a vehicle horn when stationary can be offences. These offences are infringements under Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986. Please contact Warwickshire Police
Vehicles licensed by another local authority (e.g. Coventry). Please contact the relevant local authority which has licensed these vehicles

Driver and Operator Forum

We operate a driver and operator forum.

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Taxi licensing privacy notice