If it's necessary to travel by taxi or private hire vehicle, government guidance should be followed as much as possible, including washing your hands as soon as you get home. Read more about staying safe outside the home.

Extending the age limit of licensed vehicles

We are getting enquiries from proprietors with licensed vehicles which are due to reach our stated maximum age limit. This is 8 years for saloon vehicles, and 10 years for wheelchair accessible vehicles. These enquiries relate to financial hardship caused by the coronavirus, which is making it difficult for proprietors to afford to buy a new/replacement vehicle. We're being asked whether we would consider allowing an extension to the current age limits given in our policy.

We will consider all requests from proprietors to depart from the age limits in the policy, to grant a 1 year extension to all vehicle licences which are due to reach the maximum age limits up until 31 December 2020. It is the responsibility of the proprietor to apply to us for the extension and set out the reasons why they are making the application.

Protective screens in taxis

We are temporarily allowing drivers to fit protective screens in their vehicles to reduce the risk of coronavirus spreading. Read the full guidance about installing a protective screen in your vehicle.

Critical Worker status

Taxi and private hire drivers should not generally be considered Critical Workers. Those undertaking Home to School transport or the transport of 'extremely vulnerable' people may be considered Critical Workers on a case-by-case basis. Critical Workers should also whenever possible make suitable arrangements for their children to stay at home; requests for children to attend school should be discussed with the school.

Taxi licensing process changes

We've made some temporary changes to our taxi licensing process as a result of the current coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.