Private Hire Vehicles must not be more than three-years-old at the time of issue of a licence and will not be licensed after the vehicle becomes ten-years-old.
Hackney Carriages must be a new vehicle that is Wheelchair Accessible.
Download a list of approved wheelchair accessible vehicles
Vehicles must be of suitable type, size, and design for use to carry out the business of transporting passengers in a safe and comfortable manner acceptable to the Council.
Vehicles must be right hand drive, able to comfortably accommodate a minimum of four passengers and a maximum of 8 passengers.
All Vehicles must be insured for Hackney Carriage/Private Hire use (ie: for Hire and Reward) for each authorised licensed driver. A copy of the insurance certificate is required by the Licensing Department.
All vehicles must be mechanically inspected twice per year. One is your annual MOT, the other is an inspection by the council's Work Services Unit (WSU). To book an appointment for your WSU test, call (01788) 533334. The test fee is £50, which must be paid in advance at the Town Hall or by calling (01788) 533533. We'll send a receipt for your payment to the WSU before the test.
You must supply copies of both tests to our licensing team. Ideally, your MOT and WSU tests should take place six months apart.The proprietor has responsibility to establish this test pattern.
The Annual Vehicle fee at present is £190. Renewal packs are sent out approximately one month in advance of the expiry of the licence.
The licence will not be issued until all fees are paid. Should the licence expire by over 7 days the licence cannot be renewed and you would have to apply for a new licence.
Prior to purchasing a vehicle, it would be wise to contact officers for advice on telephone number (01788) 533884 or e-mail licensing@rugby.gov.uk
There is also an MPV policy within the main licensing policy.