Government guidance on coronavirus and taxis
The licensing office is now closed. All correspondence can only be received by email to licensing@reading.gov.uk. This is being monitored and all correspondence will be dealt with as soon as is possible.
For the latest guidance and information from the Department for Transport, please look under ‘Driving and transport in the UK’ on Gov.uk.
If you require guidance on the financial support available to businesses due to Covid 19 restrictions you can find them on the Additional Restrictions Grant page.
Taxi drivers can download and print our poster for face coverings in taxis.
Please note:
We are not accepting any new driver licence applications until further notice.
Any renewal applications will need to be applied for online.
We now offer a consultation service for customers who want to apply for a private hire/hackney carriage or school transport licences, for the first time.
We offer two services:
Apply for pre-application consultation service
If you want to drive a taxi, executive private hire vehicle or school bus, both driver and vehicle need to hold a valid licence.
You should complete a corporate complaint form if you want to make a complaint about a taxi or school transport vehicle – include as much detail about the vehicle as you can.
Make your deferred taxi licence payment
If this is your first application, you should contact us and we will allocate a plate number for your vehicle. This will be required before your vehicle is tested because it should be added to your roof sign.
You must arrange for your vehicle to be tested at an authorised test facility. You can then complete an online vehicle licence form.
We can only licence certain vehicles so you should check your vehicle meets vehicle specifications.
A vehicle licence lasts 12 months – you must reapply at least six weeks before your current licence runs out.
We limit the number of Hackney Carriage licences in the borough and we are currently at full capacity. For a current list of Hackney Carriage or Private Hire vehicles please email your request to licensing@reading.gov.uk.
| Age of vehicle | Frequency of MOT | Frequency of compliance test |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 2 years | Not required | Once a year |
| 3 – 5 years | Once a year | Once a year |
| 5 years and over | Twice a year | Twice a year |
If your licensed vehicle is involved in an accident which affects the safety, performance or appearance of the vehicle, you must report it to us within 72 hours.
If your vehicle has a mechanical fault that means you will need to rent a temporary vehicle, you have to report it to us.
The system of issuing temporary replacement vehicle plates has changed.
You must follow the process described above for licensing a vehicle for temporary use whilst another vehicle is off the road due to an accident or mechanical fault.
Vehicle plates are no longer produced or held by Reading Borough council. This means the temporary plate you apply for may take longer to reach you than previously. Plates will now be sent to the licence applicant via post rather that made available at the Civic Offices for collection by the driver.
This also means that once you have completed the rental agreement because the damaged vehicle is ready to return to the road you must surrender the temporary vehicle plate to the council offices by post or by simply posting it through the letter box at the front of the Civic Offices in Bridge Street, Reading. Any suspension in place on the damaged vehicle will only be lifted once we have received the temporary vehicle plate and photos or a garage report of the vehicle repairs – these should be emailed to licensing@reading.gov.uk
Any suspension of the damaged vehicle licence will remain in place until the licence holder has received an email from this office confirming of the suspension has been lifted.
A refund will then be arranged for the remaining licence period (max 6 months) on the temporary replacement vehicle licence. We no longer have the facility to hold the licence plates until they are requested again. This means we are no longer able to provide the same day service for the release of temporary plates and you will be required to make a new vehicle application each time a temporary vehicle is required. You will also need to complete the temporary request form below so we can match the temporary vehicle licence application with the vehicle it is replacing.
Temporary replacement vehicle request
Hackney carriage vehicles – all are wheelchair accessible
Private hire wheelchair accessible vehicles
Mobility assistance is defined as:
Drivers shall not charge extra for transporting a wheelchair passenger.
Drivers shall not start the meter until the wheelchair passenger is fully loaded and safely strapped in.
Drivers shall not leave the meter running whilst unloading wheelchair passengers.
We require drivers who wish to be exempt from carrying wheelchair passengers on medical grounds to contact the Licensing Section by email: licensing@reading.gov.uk.
There have been changes to the way private hire, hackney carriage and school transport driver’s licence renewal applications are processed, as approved by the Licensing Committee on 11 April 2018.
These changes are as follows:
These changes mean that ‘entitlement to drive’ letters are no longer issued. Complete applications received 6 weeks before licence expiry will be issued when the licence expires even if DBS checks are outstanding.
If you do not submit a complete application six weeks or more before the licence expires there is no guarantee your licence will be issued in time and you will be unable to drive a hackney carriage, private hire or school transport vehicle, until the licence is renewed.
The following should be submitted with your application at least six weeks before expiry otherwise the application will be returned:
• A completed application form
• The correct licence fee + DBS fee
• All relevant supporting documents
Please read the criminal convictions’ policy.
As of 31 May 2021, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) will be implementing a change to the enhanced DBS check application process. The change will mean that DBS is no longer able to amend an applicant’s personal information on the application form, once it has been submitted.
This means that there will be a cost to resubmitting a DBS check request.
Further information on this change on the Gov.uk website.
You must complete an online driver’s licence application form.
There are different conditions according to which type of driver’s licence you are applying for:
Hackney carriage driver conditions
Private hire driver conditions
School transport driver conditions
You will need to:
Pre-test pack for Hackney carriage drivers
Pre-test pack for private hire drivers
You can now book a practical test with any of the following companies:
We can suspend or revoke your licence, or refer you to the Licensing Applications Committee if you breach legislation or the licence conditions.
It is now compulsory to undertake the safeguarding training. This must to be done as part of every, private hire, hackney carriage and school transport vehicle driver’s licence application process, whether they are a grant or renewal.
It is then your responsibility to submit a copy of the certificate along with your driver’s renewal application.
You can book yourself on one of our training dates – the fee for this is £22.50.
Due to Covid-19 and the hardship it has caused some people, the council is willing to work with anyone suffering severe financial difficulties – if required please email licensing@reading.gov.uk.
You must complete an operator’s licence application form if you want to run a taxi or school transport company.
You can find more in our private hire vehicle operator conditions and school transport operator conditions. Your drivers and vehicles must also be licensed.
There will be a consultation period before your application goes to the Licensing Committee. The process can take over 12 weeks.
You must not operate until you have received your licence.
The licence lasts for one year and you must reapply at least six weeks before your licence runs out.
If you are an existing private hire operator who wants to start running school transport vehicles and:
| Private Hire Operator – grant | 1 year | 5 years |
|---|---|---|
| Each additional applicant | £245 | £245 |
| 1 – 3 vehicles | £806 | £2,125 |
| 4 – 10 vehicles | £1,292 | £3,150 |
| 11 – 40 vehicles | £2,572 | £8,020 |
| 41 – 100 vehicles | £4,314 | £15,241 |
| 101 + vehicles | £5,181 | £18,851 |
| Private Hire Operator – renewal | ||
| Each additional applicant | £185 | £185 |
| 1 -3 vehicles | £561 | £1,245 |
| 4 – 10 vehicles | £892 | £3,092 |
| 11 – 40 vehicles | £1,977 | £7,917 |
| 41 – 100 vehicles | £3,583 | £15,191 |
| 100 + vehicles | £4,333 | £18,730 |
| School transport operator – grant | ||
| Each additional applicant | £245 | £245 |
| 1 – 3 vehicles | £445 | £1,245 |
| 4 – 10 vehicles | £836 | £2,324 |
| 11 – 40 vehicles | £1,727 | £4,955 |
| 41 – 100 vehicles | £2,251 | £6.763 |
| 100 + vehicles | £3,141 | £10,351 |
| School transport operator – renewal | ||
| Each additional applicant | £145 | £145 |
| 1 – 3 vehicles | £345 | £1,145 |
| 4 – 10 vehicles | £570 | £2,058 |
| 11 – 40 vehicles | £1,132 | £4,620 |
| 41 – 100 vehicles | £1,153 | £6,333 |
| 100 + vehicles | £2,290 | £9,890 |
If you need to make part payments, for example if you change your vehicle mid-licence, you can use the miscellaneous licensing payment form.