Welcome to the Taxi Times, a newsletter for the taxi trade showing updates on legislation, policy and enforcement.
In this edition of the Taxi Times we’ve got information on:
- Driver and vehicle renewals
- Online DBS update service
- Changes to annual vehicle inspections
- New vehicle licence plates and door livery
- The Children’s Society #LookCloser campaign
- Action to support York taxi trade’s high standards
- New Taxi Licensing webpage and form
- Training to use wheelchair-accessible vehicles
- Contacting the Taxi Licensing Team
We welcome your feedback. If you have any topics you’d like raised in this newsletter contact the Licensing Team with any comments.
Driver and vehicle renewals
As this is a big year for driver and vehicle renewals! We have already processed most of our hackney carriage driver and vehicle renewals. If your licences are due to expire this year, this is a gentle reminder to ensure that we can process the applications quickly and efficiently.
Your renewal forms and instructions are sent out by post, approximately 8 weeks before a hackney carriage or private hire licence expires.
Application forms must be completed and returned to the Taxi Licensing Team along with the appropriate documentation and fee, at least 2 weeks before the licence(s) expire for your application to be processed in time.
Information required as part of the renewal process is detailed within the renewal letter. If you do not renew on time, your licence will expire, and you will need to apply again.
It is essential that you notify us as soon as possible of any change of address, to ensure that you receive your renewal form.
Driver renewals
To proceed the renewal of a driver licence, you must produce:
- a fully completed application form
- documentation to confirm that you have a right to work in the UK - unless permanent status has already been established
- a HMRC digital tax check code
- Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) criminal record check and subscription to the DBS Update Service will be required for any driver who has undertaken a DBS after 22 November 2025
Driving licence and entitlement will be checked through Drive Tech (UK) Ltd. Please ensure your subscription and mandate are current
In accordance with Section 2 of Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Safeguarding and Road Safety) Act 2022, we have a duty to check recorded information about licensing decisions. Your renewal will be checked on the National Register of Taxi Licence Refusals, Revocations, and Suspensions Register (NR3S).
All licensed drivers are required to complete the council’s safeguarding refresher training, before their current driver’s licence expires.
If you drive a wheelchair accessible vehicle, you will be required to complete the disability awareness practical assessment certificate. Renewal is due every three years, this can be booked through the council's approved training providers.
The appropriate fee (once you have submitted your renewal application) - this can be paid online, or by calling telephone: 01904 552422.
We will provide you with an additional checklist attached to the renewal form to assist you. Any incomplete or incorrect application forms will be returned to you.
Please note, the drivers licence renewal application form, renewal fee and all documentation required as part of the renewal process must be received prior to the expiry of your existing licence. The vehicle licence will not be renewed until all relevant documentation is received and up to date.
Vehicles renewals
For vehicle renewals, the requirements are:
- a fully completed application form
- a current tail lift certificate - if applicable
- a current vehicle insurance certificate or cover note which includes the carriage of passengers for public hire (taxi) or hire and reward (private hire) - the proposer of the insurance policy must be a proprietor of the licensed vehicle
- that the vehicle has road tax and an MOT test certificate - this will be checked online by the licensing team
- that the licensing authority’s testing arrangements have been satisfied; this will be checked online via licensing records - the vehicle must have undertaken a council inspection in the last 12 months
- a satisfactory basic DBS check from gov.uk for each proprietor of the vehicle or in the case of a company or partnership, for every director and partner - this is not applicable if the proprietor of the vehicle is a driver and / or operator already licensed by City of York Council (a basic DBS disclosure is required for every other person named on the licence)
- the appropriate fee (once you have submitted your renewal application) - this can be paid online, or by calling telephone: 01904 552422
To assist, we will provide you with an additional checklist attached to the renewal form. Any incomplete or incorrect application forms will be returned to you.
Please note, the vehicle licence renewal application form, renewal fee and all documentation required as part of the renewal process must be received prior to the expiry of your existing licence. The vehicle licence will not be renewed until all relevant documentation is received and up to date.
Online DBS update service
A condition for renewing your driver licence is having an up-to-date Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
The Taxi Licensing Policy proposes that when a driver is granted a licence, they subscribe to the DBS update service so officers can carry out quick online status checks. A subscription is annual and will save you money.
If you are due or are renewing your DBS, you must subscribe to the Online DBS service when you receive your certificate. Find out more about the DBS Update Service.
Changes to annual vehicle inspections
The council needs to be satisfied that all vehicles it licences are safe. All vehicles are required to undergo an inspection by an approved mechanic at our workshop at the Eco Depot, Hazel Court, York, prior to being licensed and annually thereafter.
Vehicles over 5 years old on the day the vehicle licence is issued (calculated from the date of first registration with the DVLA), will be subject to 2 vehicle inspections in every 12-month period.
The first inspection shall be the initial grant or annual inspection conducted by the council, the second inspection will take place approximately 6 months from the date of the initial grant of the vehicle licence or annual inspection at a date determined by the council and can be completed by:
- a) presenting the vehicle for inspection by the council’s vehicle examiner within a time scale determined by the council
- or;
- b) successfully completing a MOT test within a time scale determined by the council
In 2026 your annual vehicle inspection date will be changing to ensure that our Garage Team can administer the 6-monthly testing more efficiently.
Currently your inspection is scheduled 12 months from the date your vehicle was initially inspected. This will be changing so that it coincides 6 months from the date of registration of the vehicle, or the date of your MOT test.
This initially means that when the vehicle reaches 5 years of age and is due for its second 6 month mechanical inspection, the vehicle proprietors will then have a choice as per the policy, to opt for a vehicle inspection at Hazel Court or to produce a new MOT certificate (this will then coincide with the vehicles last MOT date and therefore there is no need for a separate additional MOT test. This saves the proprietor any additional cost).
New vehicle licence plates and door livery
The council has recently changed suppliers for its private hire and hackney carriage vehicle plates and discs. The council issues a vehicle plate on the grant of a licence, this is a legal requirement in accordance with Section 48 (5) of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provision) Act 1976 (LGMPA), for private hire vehicles, and Section 51 of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847, for hackney carriages.
The old plates are on melamine board engraved with a vehicle number, registration number and the number of persons the vehicle is authorised to transport (excluding the driver).
These types of plates are time consuming and very costly to produce, can be damaged easily and are not recyclable.
The new vehicle plates can be produced by us. This will reduce the need for temporary plates to be issued whilst the permanent ones are produced. The new type of plates can be issued at the point of licensing. To assist drivers, members the public, licensing officers, local police officers, additional information will be displayed on a windscreen disc.
The disc will display:
- if the vehicle is wheelchair accessible
- its registration, make and model
- plate licence number and expiry date
The disc will also be replaced on annual renewal.
When you need to change your plate
New licence plates and discs have been issued to all licensed hackney carriage and private hire vehicles following the grant of a licence, change of vehicles or where a plate becomes damaged.
The old plates for your vehicle must be exchanged (free of charge) for the new style, before the end of 2025.
Private Hire plates
We'll arrange for a free vehicle plate pack for your private hire vehicle to be collected from Hazel Court depot during November and December, by appointment.
We're replacing the plates in stages based on licence numbers. We’ll email the vehicle licence owner to bring your old interior and exterior plates to Hazel Court to be exchanged.
When you receive the email, please contact the Taxi Licensing Team for an appointment.
The Children’s Society #LookCloser campaign
As a driver you may overhear concerning conversations a young person is having on the phone.
The act of abuse or exploitation may not be visible but the control, coercion, grooming and its impact on a young person may be.
Whilst sharing a vehicle with a young person, you may be the only one to hear and observe signs of exploitation and abuse.
As a driver, look closer for a child or young person who is:
- travelling alone
- unfamiliar with the local area
- travelling at unusual hours - during school time, early in the morning, or late at night
- travelling to multiple destinations in one day or night
- travelling long distances and paying for a journey that is expensive and would seem unrealistic for a young person to afford by themselves
- paying for journeys in cash or prepaid - carrying lots of cash
- anxious, frightened, angry, showing signs of neglect or displaying other behaviour that makes you worried
- using words describing criminal or sexual activity
As a member of staff working in a hire car branch, look closer for a child or young person who is:
- being instructed or controlled by another individual
- appearing guarded around particular individuals
- anxious, frightened, angry, showing signs of neglect, or displaying other behaviours that make you worried
- accompanied by another individual with suspicious booking information
Look out for fraudulent documents, payments in cash, regular bookings to different areas of the country or differences between names and addresses of those making the booking and those hiring the car.
If something doesn't feel right, don't wait, report it.
Call the police on 101 or 999 in an emergency. You can also report to the police online. Only report your concerns when it is safe for you to do so, even if this is after the event that your concerns initially arose. Do not attempt to intervene yourself.
Text the British Transport Police on 61016. If you are on a train, you can text the British Transport Police. Information on routes of travel, addresses, appearance, and behaviour of a child can all help to protect young people.
Call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. If you have information on child exploitation and abuse or suspect it may be happening but want to remain completely anonymous, you can [contact the independent charity Crimestoppers online] or on the phone.
Call the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000. The NSPCC helpline is staffed by trained professionals who can provide expert advice and support if you’re concerned about a child.
See further information about the Children’s Society #LookCloser campaign.
Action to support York taxi trade’s high standards
To support the city’s taxi trade’s high standards and passenger safety, police and partners carried out an operation to stop and check private hire vehicles.
On Saturday 2 August 2025, police, Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency and council officers stopped and checked taxis to ensure licensing was in order and vehicle safety was of appropriate standard.
Find out more about the taxi operation in York.
New Taxi Licensing webpage and form
We're updating our webpages with information for new applications, guidance for drivers, vehicle proprietors and operators, and an area to pay for licensing services and download relevant forms. It will also include links for members of the public on taxi accessibility.
See more information from the Taxi Licensing Team.
Training to use wheelchair-accessible vehicles
If you own or drive a licensed wheelchair-accessible vehicle (WAV), you must ensure that it is only driven by a licensed driver who has completed and passed the Driving Standards Agency wheelchair exercise or equivalent.
This training is compulsory and requires refresher training every three years to ensure that all current drivers remain up to date with current industry legislation and practice. If you are a proprietor of a WAV, please keep a copy of the driver’s certification.
Contacting the Taxi Licensing Team
When contacting the Licensing team via email, telephone or in person, please ensure that you attach or tell us your driver or vehicle licence number so that we can deal with your query efficiently.
If you have an appointment for a DBS Check ensure that you produce the correct documents, as we are unable to complete the check without them, an email will be sent with the items required prior to your appointment.
Taxi Times
- Email: licensing@york.gov.uk
- Telephone: 01904 552422