Taxi vehicle specification

1.

The holder of the licence is required to present the vehicle to one of the approved Council garages to undergo and pass an annual inspection.

2.

Vehicles when first being licensed by Stirling Council can be no more than five years old from the date of first registration.  There is no upper age limit for vehicles after they are licensed.

3.

Vehicles will be subject to frequent testing depending on the age and type of vehicle:

4.

At the time of application and test the Registration Document (V5), valid Certificate of Insurance and current MOT Certificate (for vehicles over 1 year old) must be presented along with the appropriate fee for the test and plates.

1.

Have not less than 4 doors.

2.

Have a minimum internal width of 1.37 metres.

3.

Be white or silver in colour.

4.

Sufficient space must be available for passengers luggage.

5.

Be capable of carrying a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 8 passengers with transverse seats in an approved layout.

6.

Have an illuminated roof sign.

7.

Have a fire extinguisher no older than 5 years from the date of manufacture fitted in a suitable fastener readily accessible to the driver (minimum capacity of 1kg of a suitable multi purpose fire extinguisher).

8.

Have a calibrated taximeter fitted in a position which is approved by the Council.

9.

Have licence plates issued by the Licensing Team.

10.

All wheelchair accessible vehicles should be fitted and comply with all relevant legislation and Department of Transport and the Environment guidance.

1.

Be wheelchair accessible.

2.

Be white or silver in colour.

3.

Sufficient space must be available for passengers luggage.

4.

Be capable of carrying a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 8 passengers with transverse seats in an approved layout.

5.

Have an illuminated roof sign.

6.

Have a fire extinguisher no older than 5 years from the date of manufacture fitted in a suitable fastener readily accessible to the driver (minimum capacity of 1kg of a suitable multi purpose fire extinguisher).

7.

Have a calibrated taximeter fitted in a position which is approved by the Council.

8.

Have licence plates issued by the Licensing Team.

9.

All wheelchair accessible vehicles should be fitted and comply with all relevant legislation and Department of Transport and the Environment guidance.

TL 1

The Licence Holder shall ensure that their Taxi Vehicle, including all bodywork, upholstery and fittings, is roadworthy, safe and serviceable and is in a clean condition subject to prevailing road conditions.

TL 2

The Licence Holder shall not require or request any driver of their Taxi Vehicle to do anything which would result in the driver committing a breach of the conditions of their Taxi Driver’s Licence.

TL 3

The Licence Holder shall hold in their own name the requisite Vehicle Registration Document and the Certificate of Insurance in relation to their Taxi Vehicle  required by Part VI of the Road Traffic Act 1988 or any other amending legislation, and the Licence Holder shall be required to produce these documents to an Authorised Officer of the Licensing Authority at any reasonable time on request.  Where there is more than one Licence Holder, the Vehicle Registration Document and Certificate of Insurance shall be in the name of at least one of these holders.  The Vehicle Registration Document and Certificate of Insurance must also state the permanent address of the Licence Holder or Holders named in those documents. 

TL 4

The Licence Holder, when presenting his vehicle for inspection at the testing centres, shall exhibit the Certificate of Insurance for the vehicle to the person carrying out the inspection.

TL 5

The Licence Holder shall present any Taxi Vehicle, for which they hold the Licence, which is less than 3 years from the date of its first registration for annual inspection by the Licensing Authority (or their duly appointed agents) at any place, which the Licensing Authority shall specify.  Notification of appointed agents and places of testing shall be given by the Licensing Authority by any means they consider appropriate to the Licence Holder.  The Licence Holder shall submit any Taxi Vehicle, for which they hold the Licence, which is more than 3 years from the date of its first registration for further testing as per the following table:-

TL 6

The Licence Holder shall ensure that, when the vehicle is presented for inspection, the bodywork and passenger accommodation of the vehicle are clean and that the underside of the vehicle is free from road dirt, excess oil and grease.

TL 7

The bodywork of the Taxi Vehicle shall be only white or silver in colour.

TL 8

In the event that the Taxi Vehicle is damaged in any way, the Licence Holder shall report the damage to the Licensing Authority at the latest by the end of the next working day.  The Licence Holder shall present the Taxi Vehicle for examination by the Licensing Authority at a place which the Licensing Authority shall specify within two working days after the vehicle has been damaged unless the vehicle is not road worthy as a result of the damage.  If the vehicle is not road worthy the Licence Holder shall advise the Licensing Authority of the location of the vehicle and make arrangements for the vehicle to be examined by the Licensing Authority at that location.  At the examination of the vehicle the Licensing Authority will advise the Licence Holder if the vehicle requires any repair work to be carried out to before being used again as a Taxi Vehicle.  In the event that the Licensing Authority advises the Licence Holder that the vehicle requires repair work to be carried out then the vehicle shall not be used as a Taxi Vehicle until the specified repairs have been completed, and the vehicle has been examined by the Licensing Authority (or their duly appointed agents) and the Authority has confirmed to the Licence Holder that their work has been carried out to their satisfaction.

TL 9

The Licence Holder shall affix to the Taxi Vehicle immediately upon receipt from the Licensing Authority the approved external plates bearing the number allocated to that Taxi Vehicle in question.The vehicle shall not be used as a Taxi Vehicle at any time when the plates and signs are not fitted to the vehicle.  The Licence Holder shall affix to the vehicle the internal plate supplied by the Licensing Authority in a position approved by the Licensing Authority within the interior of the vehicle.

TL 10

The Taxi Vehicle shall not be used as a Taxi Vehicle by the Licence Holder or anyone acting on his behalf if any of the signs referred to in Condition 9 above are not in place upon the car or are illegible.

TL 11

In addition to the materials referred to in Condition 9 issued by the Licensing Authority, the Licence Holder may display one sign on each of the two front doors. Any such sign shall not exceed 1200cm2 and shall consist of the Licence Holder’s business name and/or business logo, telephone number, e-mail address or other methods of instantaneous communication.  Such signs must be approved by the Licensing Authority before being placed on the Taxi vehicle and must relate only to the services provided by the Licence Holder in terms of the Taxi Vehicle Licence.  For the avoidance of doubt, no advertising of any other kind shall be allowed on any Taxi Vehicle.

TL 12

The Licence Holder shall display a roof sign on which they can display the licence number, company name and/or telephone number.

TL 13

The Licence Holder shall obtain, from the Licensing Authority, a notice, or notices detailing the approved maximum fares and the charges appropriate to exclusive or to shared hire of the Taxi Vehicle and will display the notice, or notices, in the passenger compartment of the Taxi Vehicle in such a position that it will be readily visible to the passengers being carried and no other table of fares and charges shall be displayed.

TL 14

The Licence Holder shall, if the cost of the journey is not so regulated by a Licensing Authority fare structure, take steps to ensure that any potential hirer of his/her Taxi Vehicle is informed, prior to acceptance of the hire, (a) that the fare is not so regulated; and (b) the cost, or method of calculating the cost, of the proposed journey.

TL 15

The Licence Holder, shall not use or cause or permit to be used on the Taxi Vehicle, a road wheel or tyre (if applicable) of a different circumference from that for which the taxi meter affixed to the Taxi Vehicle was designed, geared and has been tested by the approved testing stations. This condition does not apply to Licence Holders using a Global Positioning System.

TL 16

The Licence Holder, whose Taxi Vehicle is fitted with a taxi meter, shall use only a taxi meter which has been stamped or sealed by the Licensing Authority after testing and approved as to distance and time in accordance with the approved taxi fares and charges.  Once a taxi meter is fitted to their Taxi Vehicle, they shall not tamper with the taxi meter or break or tamper with any seal or stamp on such a taxi meter or any attachment affixed thereto by the manufacturer or Licensing Authority except to remove the taxi meter for repair or replacement.   The Licence Holder shall not cause or permit any person to interfere in any way with the taxi meter except for the purpose of removing the taxi meter for repair or replacement.  Should the seal be broken, the taxi meter shall be re-tested and passed by or on behalf of the Licensing Authority before being used again.

TL 17

In the event that a Licence Holder removes the taxi meter from their Taxi Vehicle they shall inform the Licensing Authority of the removal of the meter within two working days of the removal.  They shall not re-fit a taxi meter on a second or subsequent occasion without prior permission from the Licensing Authority, except when the Taxi Vehicle is due to be tested by the Licensing Authority.

TL 18

The Licence Holder shall not knowingly operate, or cause or permit to be operated, the Taxi Vehicle during any period that the seals affixed to the taxi meter and, where so affixed, to the vehicle, are broken or detached.

TL 19

The Licence Holder shall not knowingly use, or cause or permit to be used, a taxi meter, which is in any way defective.

TL 20

No Taxi Vehicle shall be fitted with a global positioning system unless the Licence Holder has advised the Licensing Authority in writing of the details of the system and the Licensing Authority has advised the Licence Holder that the system is approved for use within Taxi Vehicles.

TL 21

The Licence Holder shall make available to any driver using the vehicle a suitable log book capable of recording, before the start of each journey, the following particulars for each contract of hire:

(a)      The time of the hire;

(b)      The pick up point;

(c)      The place of destination;

(d)      The name of the hirer;

(e)      The licence number and registration number of the vehicle; and

(f)      The details of the driver.

TL 22

The Licence Holder shall record, or instruct all drivers using the Taxi Vehicle to record, each hire in permanent ink and in chronological order, the details required by Condition 21.

TL 23

The Licence Holder shall instruct the driver to complete the information as detailed in Condition 21 and to hand the log book to the Licence Holder or his representative at the end of the driver’s shift of driving.

TL 24

The logbook referred to in Condition 21 shall be retained by the Licence Holder within his home address, or within any booking office which the Licence Holder operates, for a minimum period of six months and must be produced on request to an Authorised Officer or a Constable for inspection.

TL 25

A central automated logging system at a Taxi Vehicle booking office may be used in place of a logbook provided that the system:

(a)      Can record and store in chronological order the details required in Condition 21;

(b)      Cannot be altered so as to remove the details specified in Condition 21; and

(c)      Has been approved by the Licensing Authority.

TL 26

The Licence Holder shall be bound to fulfil, or cause to be fulfilled, at the time and location specified, an engagement to hire their Taxi Vehicle which the Licence Holder has accepted, or which has been accepted on the Licence Holder’s behalf by any representative, unless prevented by reasonable and sufficient cause.

TL 27

The Licence Holder shall take steps to ensure that each potential hirer of their Taxi Vehicle consents at the time of the arrangement of the hire to an exclusive hire or a shared hire as the case may be.

TL 28

The Licence Holder shall not knowingly allow or knowingly cause or permit the Taxi Vehicle to be used for illegal purposes or knowingly permit to be carried in the Taxi Vehicle any article of a dirty, filthy or noxious nature or of an explosive or dangerous nature.  The Licence Holder shall ensure that any person driving the Taxi Vehicle is aware of the provisions of this condition.

TL 29

The holder of a Taxi Vehicle licence shall provide, or instruct any person driving the Taxi Vehicle on their behalf to provide, at the termination of the hire, a signed receipt to the passenger on request, stating:

(a)      The time and date of the journey;

(b)      The licence number of the vehicle; and

(c)      The amount of the fare charged.

TL 30

The Licence Holder shall keep an up to date record of the names and addresses of all Taxi drivers employed who drive the Taxi Vehicle under any arrangement with the Licence Holder, together with the dates and times that each driver was in charge of the Taxi Vehicle.

TL 31

The record referred to in Condition 30 shall be kept for a minimum of six months within the Licence Holders home address or within any Taxi Vehicle booking office which the Licence Holder operates and must be produced on request to an Authorised Officer or Constable for inspection together with any other such information as may be required by an Authorised Officer for the purpose of ascertaining the identity of any Taxi driver employed by the said Licence Holder or for any other purpose relating to these conditions.

TL 32

The Licence Holder must carry in a suitable fastener in the Taxi Vehicle, a fire extinguisher of a type and in a position approved by the Licensing Authority and that the fire extinguisher be no more than 5 years older from the date of manufacture.

TL 33

The holder of a Taxi Vehicle licence on changing their permanent address shall notify the Licensing Authority of their new address in writing, within ten working days.

TL 34

When a licensed Taxi Vehicle ceases to be used as such, the Licence Holder shall give immediate notice to the Licensing Authority and return to the Licensing Authority their Taxi Vehicle Licence and any material provided by the Licensing Authority, including but not restricted to that specified in Condition 9 above, within 10 working days.

TL 35

The Licence Holder shall ensure that the Taxi Vehicle is not driven (while it is being used as a Taxi Vehicle) by any person who is not the holder of a current Taxi Driver’s Licence issued by the Licensing Authority.

TL 36

In these conditions:-

“exclusive”, as applied to the hire of a Taxi Vehicle, means that a single fare is payable by any one passenger for the whole hire of the Taxi Vehicle, whether or not more than one passenger is carried; and “exclusive hire” shall be construed accordingly; and “shared”, as applied to the hire of a Taxi Vehicle, means that each passenger is carried at a separate fare, payable to the driver; and “shared hire” shall be construed accordingly.