Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council
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Taxi licences

Licences you need for your business

If you are looking to set up your own taxi business, or work as a driver for an existing company in the borough of Hinckley & Bosworth, you will need to apply for certain licences.

At a taxi rank, on the street and bookings by phone (Hackney carriage)

If you intend to pick up fares at a taxi rank, on the street or take bookings by telephone in our borough, you will need a hackney carriage driver's licence.

Setting up your own business?

If you are setting up your own business, then you will also need to apply for a vehicle licence for your vehicle. You can only do this when you have been issued with your Hinckley & Bosworth driver’s licence.
Further information:

Pre-booked work only (private hire)

If you intend to be a driver who will only take pre-booked work, then you will need a private hire driver’s licence (to drive the vehicle).

When you have obtained your licence as a private hire driver, you can apply for a private hire vehicle licence for your car and a private hire operator’s licence (PHOL) to enable you to take a lawful booking.

Private hire vehicles cannot wait without a booking in an area where you would reasonably expect to find a hackney carriage. This means that private hire drivers must not wait outside train stations, nightclubs, pubs, theatres, for example, without a booking. If you are waiting in these areas, you may be required to provide evidence of a booking to an authorised officer of any licensing authority or the police. It is also an offence for a private hire vehicle to enter a hackney carriage rank at any time, even to drop off or pick up pre-booked passengers.

Setting up your own business or working for another private hire business? 

If you are setting up your own private hire business, or if you want to work for an app-based company like UBER,  you must hold your own private hire operator’s licence, which will enable you to take bookings from operator to operator.

UBER and similar app-based companies do not currently hold a private hire operator’s licence with Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council.

UBER UK Ltd currently holds private hire operator licences with UK cities, such as London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Wolverhampton, Leicester and Birmingham, however this may change in 2025.

If you only want to work for UBER, you should obtain a licence at a city council where UBER holds a private hire operator’s licence.

Without your own operator’s licence, all bookings from these businesses are illegal, all journeys are uninsured, you may face prosecution and your licences will be revoked.

As the holder of a private hire operator’s licence, you will be able to have other drivers licensed by Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council working for you.

Working for a business that holds a private hire operators licence?

Any licensed private hire driver with Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council who is employed by a company and works exclusively for that business may work under their private hire operator's licence providing that there is a written agreement between the operator and driver.

This means that the driver can only accept bookings from that business.

If you accept any bookings directly without holding a PHOL, the booking will be illegal, the journey will be uninsured and your licences will be revoked.

Further information:

Unsure which licences you need?

Please contact the Licensing Team.

Statutory taxi and private hire vehicle guidance

The Secretary of State for Transport has issued new statutory taxi and private hire vehicle guidance to licensing authorities aimed at safeguarding children and vulnerable adults: Statutory taxi and private hire vehicle standards (GOV.UK)
 
The statutory standards set out a range of robust measures to protect taxi and private hire vehicle passengers, particularly those most vulnerable.

Government and licensing authorities are working together to ensure that, above all else, the taxi and private hire vehicle services the public use are safe.

Licensing authorities are under a legal duty, under section 177 of the Police and Crime Act 2017, to have regard to the statutory guidance.

The statutory standards are an important first step in reforming the way the taxi and private hire vehicle sector is regulated and should ensure consistent standards between licensing authorities.

National register of taxi licence refusals and revocations (NR3)

This new register, hosted by the National Anti-Fraud Network, helps to prevent drivers who have had a taxi licence revoked, or an application for one refused, dishonestly obtaining a licence from another council: the new national register (NR3)

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