Licensed vehicles can only be driven by holders of private hire or hackney carriage driver's licences.

Applying for a vehicle licence

Complete the private hire application form.

The same application form can be completed for a private hire driver's licence and/or vehicle licence. 

There is a seperate form for a hackney carriage driver's licence. All the hackney carriage vehicle licences available in York are currently allocated.

You can download forms and conditions from this page.

Vehicle testing

The date and time of a vehicle inspection at Hazel Court depot will need to be arranged with taxi licensing on (01904) 551438, once it has been established that the driver's licence will be issued.

Ensure the vehicle is mechanically sound and in clean and tidy condition. You must take the vehicle registration, MOT test certificate and normal insurance documents with you. Private hire/public hire insurance must be produced before vehicle licences can be issued.

Vehicles are tested annually before the start of the new licensing year (1 June for hackney carriages and on a rolling year for private hire vehicles, date determined when vehicle is first licensed). You can apply at any time of year but there is no reduction for licences issued part way through the year. Vehicles older than five years must have a vehicle safety examination six months after the initial grant or annual inspection at a date determined by us.

Taximeters

Vehicles fitted with approved taximeters (these are compulsory for hackney carriages but optional for private hire vehicles) must also submit the meter for a test by the taxi licensing office. Meters are only tested after the vehicle has been licensed.

Hackney carriage vehicle licences

We currently restrict the number of hackney carriage vehicle licences we issue. There is a waiting list for people who would like to apply for a hackney carriage vehicle licence should any further vehicle licences be released. The waiting list operates on an accumulating points system giving preference to those holding a hackney carriage or private hire driver's licence. Yo can download a leaflet from this page on how the priority system works.

Please write to us if you wish to apply to join the waiting list.