Operator’s Licence

Conditions of licence

1. The licensee shall keep in book form or electronic register, a record of all private hire vehicles operated by him/her. The record shall show for each vehicle:-

a) the Private Hire Vehicle Licence number;

b) the name and address of the person to whom the vehicle licence was issued;

c) the registration number of the vehicle;

d) the date the licensee first operated the vehicle;

and these records shall be kept for at least 6 months (as per DFT Best Practice) after the licensee ceases to operate the vehicle.

2. The licensee shall hold:

a) the Private Hire Vehicle Licence of any vehicle he/she is operating;

b) the Private Hire Driver’s Licence of any driver who is driving such a vehicle.

3. The licensee shall keep a record of every booking of a Private Hire Vehicle invited or accepted by him/her, whether accepting the same from the hirer or by undertaking it at the request of another operator.

The record shall be completed before the commencement of the journey and shall show for each booking:-

a) the date and time the booking was received;

b) the name of the hirer;

c) the address at which the hiring is to commence;

d) the date and time the hiring is to commence;

e) the registration or licence number of the vehicle allocated;

f) the name or licence number of the driver of the vehicle allocated

g) in the case of a booking made by an automatic voice recording/printout from a computer, or other electronic system, it will be sufficient for the operator to show that such a system can demonstrate an accurate record of the booking, reflecting the above and showing the vehicle and driver allocated.

and these records shall be kept for at least six months (DFT best practice) from the date of the hiring.

4. No advertisement:

(a) indicating that motor vehicles can be hired on application to a specific address or telephone number;

(b) on or near any premises indicating that motor vehicles can be hired at those premises shall include the word "taxi" or "cab", whether in the singular or plural and whether alone or as part of another word, unless the advertisement makes it clear that the vehicles are not hackney carriages.

5. Planning consent, where appropriate, must be obtained from the Local Authority where the operating base is situated (ie for a large operating base where the licensee operates multiple vehicles). An operating base shall not be more than seven miles from the boundary of Southend-on-Sea City Council.

6. A licensee who changes the place at which he/she carries on business shall notify the Council of such change within seven days.

7. A licensee who changes the place at which he/she lives shall notify the Council of such change of address within seven days.

8. Licensees/applicants for an Operators Licence shall submit to a basic criminal records check and shall:-

a) not have been convicted of or have received a Police caution or other formal caution for a criminal offence during the previous four years;

b) not have been convicted for an offence of indecency during the previous five years;

c) not have been convicted of or have received a Police caution or other formal caution for a serious assault (eg grievous bodily harm/wounding) during the previous seven years;

d) not have been convicted of or have received a Police caution or other formal caution for a drugs related offence during the previous three years;

e) not have been convicted or have received a Police caution or other formal caution for any other offence, or followed a course of behaviour which the Licensing Authority does not consider fit and proper, during the previous four years.

The Licensing Authority may use its discretion over previous convictions and may refuse to issue a licence or revoke a licence accordingly.

9. Convictions, Police cautions or other formal cautions or Fixed Penalty Notices recorded since the completion of the application form for this licence shall be reported to the Council within seven days.

10. An appeal may be brought against the Licensing Conditions within 21 days from the date on which notice of the Condition is served on the applicant to the Magistrates Court situated at Victoria Avenue, Southend on Sea, Essex.

11. An applicant disappointed by a decision of the authority in respect of an application also has a right of appeal to the Magistrates Court.

In respect of your application under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, please note:

This Authority is under a duty to protect the public funds it administers, and to this end may use the information you have provided on this form for the prevention and detection of fraud. It may also share this information with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds for these purposes.