Do I need a licence?
All Hackney Carriage Vehicles within Wolverhampton must be licenced. Hackney carriages can pick up passengers on the street and at designated taxi ranks without a prior booking.
What are the conditions of the licence?
Before we grant a hackney carriage vehicle licence, we must satisfy ourselves that the vehicle is roadworthy, and a type approved vehicle. New Hackney Carriage licences will only be granted to brand new vehicles.
All vehicles are inspected when a vehicle licence is applied for. We then periodically inspect your vehicle depending upon its age. Licences are issued for up to a year.
You must also hold a hackney carriage drivers licence to drive a hackney carriage vehicle.
From 1 April 2021, if vehicle licence applicants are not a driver licensed by City of Wolverhampton Council, you must provide a Basic DBS certificate from the UK Government. If the applicant is a company or partnership, each director and partner must provide a basic DBS certificate. Certificates must be dated within the 12 months prior to application for new applications or 12 months prior to licence expiry for renewal applications.
If the DBS certificate contains information, a hearing may be required to be held to determine whether the individual is fit and proper to hold a licence, in consideration of the Council’s ‘Guidelines Relating to Relevance of Convictions and Breaches of Licence Conditions’, prior to the licence being granted.
How will my application be determined?
Applications must be submitted by email to Vehicle.Lic@wolverhampton.gov.uk. An assessment of the application will be made by a Licensing Officer who will arrange for the appropriate payment to be taken.
Vehicle inspections
Before we grant a hackney carriage vehicle licence, we inspect all vehicles to satisfy ourselves that it is mechanically suitable for use.
Frequency of inspections
| Vehicle Age | On Application | 6 Months |
| 0 to 10 years | Annually | NO |
| 10 to 16 years | YES | YES |
How much will it cost?
For full details, see our Fees and Charges under Downloads.
How long will it take you to process my application?
The queue is approximately one week long. Once an application has reached the front of the queue, it will be looked at and if the application is incorrect then it will take longer to process. There is no guaranteed time in which your application will be processed and these timescales are indicative only.
You will then receive an email notifying you of an appointment to collect your plates, or of any problems with your application.
Contact us
To find out more about Hackney Carriage Vehicle Licenses, please email: vehicle.lic@wolverhampton.gov.uk
To submit an application for either a new or renewal Hackney Carriage you must supply
- Vehicle registration document (V5C) or bill of sale
- A valid certificate of insurance or cover note showing the cover for public or private hire purposes (as appropriate)
- Current MOT test certificate issued no earlier than 10 days before the date of application by a City of Wolverhampton approved MOT station.
- Calibration certificate for new or replacement vehicles by the meter supplier.
- Current licence fee – dependant on the age of the vehicle.
- Once satisfied the vehicle application is complete and the appropriate requirements are met, the licence will be granted upon successful completion of a vehicle compliance inspection to ensure the vehicle complies with the conditions of the licence.
- A basic DBS certificate dated within the 12 months prior to licence expiry.