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Apply for a vehicle licence

 

Difference between hackney carriage vehicle and private hire vehicle

Conditions

Private hire

Hackney carriage

Pre-booked only

Yes

No

Meter and roof light required

No

Yes

Permitted to use hackney carriage ranks in district/plying for hire

No

Yes

Hailing of a licensed vehicle

No

Yes

Use Uttlesford District Council's table of fares for journeys

No

Yes

 

To licence a vehicle you must adhere to our  Licensing Policy relating to the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire trade (PDF) [773KB] .
 

How to apply

We will only accept valid and complete applications. This means that all required documentation must be sent together in one single email to licensing@uttlesford.gov.uk

If any of the required documents are not received within the email we will reject the application and refund any monies paid.

Our aim is to issue licences within 28 days of the full application having been received. If you do not receive your licence within this time period please contact us as there may be a reason for the delay.
 

New/renewal/temporary vehicle application

We only accept complete valid applications. All documents (for either renewals, new or temporary replacement applications) must be attached to one email and sent to licensing@uttlesford.gov.uk If you do not receive your licence within 28 days please contact us

If you need to change your Vehicle temporarily due to either an accident or a mechanical fault you can apply for a temporary licence until your car is fixed/replaced. If your car will no longer be in use you will need to apply for a new licence. Your insurance company must apply for you if you will have use of one of their courtesy replacement vehicle.

1 Hackney carriage and private hire vehicle application form (Word doc) [64KB]

2 MOT (if applicable)

3 Compliance Test

4 V5 or, on the first occasion, the sales invoice

5 Current insurance certificates

6 Declaration for hackney carriage vehicles (Word doc) [412KB]

7 Hackney carriages only - Certificate of calibration

8 Payment - the payment for the licence should also be made upon application.

Pay

Contact our customer services team to pay for your vehicle licence. You will need to ask for a receipt to include with your licence application.

Telephone: 01799 510510

Sending your documents

Outside your vehicle application, in PDF format, please send us your insurance, MOT and interim inspection sheet.

You can use our online form to upload your documents.

Send your documents
 

Private hire vehicle plate exemption

Private hire vehicle plate exemption application form (Word doc) [28KB]
 

What are the taxi fees ?

Full list of private hire and hackney carriage fees and charges
 

Table of fares 

Fares for hackney carriage vehicles
 

Find out more about hackney carriage and private hire licences

Get your vehicle inspected

You can get your vehicle inspected at any of the approved garages for vehicle testing in the district.

MOT

You must have a valid  MOT for a hackney carriage vehicle from when it is 1 year old and for a private hire vehicle from when it is 3 years old.

You can check the MOT status of a vehicle on GOV.UK

Accidents

If you have an accident you will need to fill in an  accident report form (PDF) [231KB] .

You must do this within 72 hours of the accident.

Send your completed form to our Licensing team by email at licensing@uttlesford.gov.uk

Change your vehicle temporarily due to an accident or a mechanical fault

You might need to temporarily change your vehicle if:

  • your insurance company needs to apply for a temporary replacement licence
  • you intend to use a courtesy car  
  • you are purchasing or have use of another vehicle which you wish to be licensed

You will need to fill; in a temporary vehicle application form (PDF) [57KB] .

Send your completed form to our Licensing team by email at licensing@uttlesford.gov.uk

You can find more information in our Hackney carriage and private hire Temporary Vehicle Policy.