Apply for an operator licence
Any person who runs a business that involves the booking of private hire vehicles (standard taxis), must be licensed as a private hire operator. Private hire vehicles are only allowed to pick up people through pre-arranged bookings through a licensed operator and are not allowed to be hailed in the street.
All 3 licences (private hire vehicle, private hire driver and operator) must be issued by the same local council authority.
If you apply for an operator licence you will need to:
- do a ‘fit and proper test’
- allow the place where you run your business (premises) to be assessed to check that it is suitable
- have an office address in South Cambridgeshire
All licensed drivers and operators must have completed a safeguarding course. The following organisations provide approved training:
If your chosen provider is not listed, then contact us for advice by emailing Taxis@scambs.gov.uk
Disclaimer: The organisations listed are for information purposes only. South Cambridgeshire District Council do not endorse or recommend one organisation over another. Users are encouraged to carry out their own research to see which services are best for them.
Cost of the licence
Operator licences are charged on a 1 or 5 year basis:
- 1 year fee is £242
- 5 year fee is £913
Documents needed for an operator licence or renewal application are:
- basic DBS certificate - less than 1 month old (for non-driver operators)
- proof of national insurance
- proof of right to work
- ICO registration certificate
- training procedure
- complaints policy
- customer service policy
- disability awareness policy
- disciplinary procedure
- lost property procedure
- public liability insurance (if this applies to you)
- landlord permission to run a business from the address (if this applies to you)
Apply or a DBS check
Operators who are not also licensed drivers need to submit a basic DBS disclosure less than 1 month old.
Proof of right to work
All applicants must provide proof of right to work at the time of their application. We will only accept original documents.
Check the Home Office employers Right to Work checklist to see what documents are valid.
An operator’s licence cannot be issued to persons who do not have the right to work in the UK.
A licence is not valid if a person’s immigration status changes to:
- not having the right to remain or live in the UK
Where this applies, the person must immediately stop operating and return their operator’s licence to us within 7 days.