Vehicle licensing
Current statutory ruleStatutory vehicle licence requirement
This establishes the regulated vehicle object and does not prove a current plate, waiting-list position, approval or commercial dispatch relationship.
- Taxi: A licence under section 10 is required to use a motor vehicle as a taxi.
- Private Hire Car: A licence under section 10 is required to use a motor vehicle as a private hire car.
- Separate Objects: The statutory vehicle licence is separate from the driver licence and from any booking-office licence.
Current statutory ruleStatutory processing duration renewal and appeal framework
These are statutory outer rules and effects, not an East Renfrewshire operational target or proof that a submitted application is complete.
- Relevant Date: the application date
- Application Consideration: within the three-month period beginning with the relevant date
- Final Decision: within the six-month period beginning with the end of the initial three-month period
- Extension: on a licensing-authority summary application made within the six-month final-decision period, the sheriff may extend that six-month period where good reason appears
- Missed Deadline Effect: the application is deemed granted or renewed
- Deemed Temporary Duration: the period sought, capped at six weeks
- Deemed Other Duration: one year
- Ordinary Duration: three years or a shorter period determined by the licensing authority
- Temporary Maximum: six weeks
- Timely Renewal Continuation: a timely renewal keeps the existing licence in effect until grant or renewal, expiry of the appeal period after refusal, or abandonment or determination of a lodged appeal
- Late Renewal: an application up to 28 days late may be treated as timely only where the authority considers that good cause is shown
- Appeal Eligibility: a person who may require reasons under the Schedule and who followed all available procedures for stating their case
- Appeal Method And Deadline: summary application lodged with the sheriff clerk within 28 days of the decision
- Late Appeal: the sheriff may hear a late appeal where good cause is shown
- Appeal Grounds: error of law; decision based on an incorrect material fact; action contrary to natural justice; unreasonable exercise of discretion
Current statutory ruleStatutory inspection testing and suspension powers
This is the national statutory framework and does not prove a local inspection result, booking slot or enforcement decision.
- Holder Duty: present the licensed vehicle for inspection and testing within the period and at the place reasonably required by authority notice
- Inspection Power: an authorised officer, authorised civilian employee or constable may inspect and test vehicle fitness and taximeter fitness or accuracy at a reasonable time
- Failure Response: written requirement for further inspection; licence suspension until the examiner is satisfied
- Twenty Eight Day Effect: if the examiner is not satisfied within 28 days of suspension, the licence is deemed suspended by the authority under Schedule 1 paragraph 11
Current official sourceCurrent taxi vehicle entry requirements
The company and partnership route creates a separate entity-scope conflict with the personal driver-licence prerequisite.
- Stated Applicant Prerequisite: a valid taxi driver licence
- Vehicle Requirements: annual MOT from one year old; taximeter
- Page Scope: the page describes the taxi vehicle licence as plates and separately links taxi driver licensing guidance
Current official sourceCurrent private hire vehicle entry requirements
The company and partnership route creates a separate entity-scope conflict with the personal driver-licence prerequisite.
- Stated Applicant Prerequisite: a private hire driver licence
- Vehicle Requirement: annual MOT from three years old
- Booking Mode: the car must be pre-booked
- Separate Licences: the driver and vehicle must each be licensed
Current official sourceCurrent new vehicle application waiting list
This does not establish a queue position, invitation date, plate availability, live form result or likelihood of grant.
- Reason Given: exceptional demand
- Process: details are added to a waiting list and the council says it will contact the person in due course with submission details
- Drop In Restriction: published drop-in sessions are for renewals only; new applications are by invitation only
Current official sourceCurrent vehicle application fees and duration options
These are council application-page charges checked on the record date; the pages do not state a fee-schedule effective date.
- One Year: £249
- Two Years: £475
- Three Years: £673
- Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle: no charge for the one-year, two-year or three-year option
Current official sourceCurrent vehicle applicant structures documents and submission route
This records the published intake route without asserting that any form was submitted or accepted.
- Applicant Structures: individual; company; partnership
- Entity Evidence: ID for all partners, directors and managers
- Renewal Submission: completed form and supporting documents taken to a published renewal-only drop-in
- New Application Route: waiting-list invitation rather than an uninvited drop-in
Current official sourceCurrent vehicle application form fields and supporting documents
Form fields are evidence of requested information, not proof of a present legal requirement in every applicant scenario or successful acceptance.
- Licence Options: taxi; private hire car; grant; renewal; one year labelled Temporary; two years; three years
- Individual Fields: identity and contact details; right-to-work and share-code questions; criminal history; HMRC registration and tax-check code; vehicle and inspection details
- Entity Fields: company or partnership details; directors; partners; managers; right-to-work and tax fields for named persons
- Supporting Documents: V5 registration document, all pages; MOT where applicable; vehicle inspection pass certificate; vehicle insurance certificate; HMRC tax-check print where applicable; Home Office share-code print where applicable
Current official sourceCurrent vehicle age policy
This current evidence conflicts with the ten-year upper limit retained in both still-linked conditions documents.
- Current Page: no age limit applies to vehicles being registered as taxis or private hire cars
- Committee Decision: Licensing Committee item 1220 on 10 June 2025 agreed to remove initial and upper vehicle-age thresholds
Current official sourceCurrent vehicle inspection entry cycle criteria and fees
The summary criteria are not represented as a complete inspection manual or prediction of a pass result.
- Entry: all vehicles must pass an inspection and provide the pass certificate before a taxi or private-hire vehicle application is submitted
- Ongoing Cycle: annual inspection for all licensed vehicles
- Vehicle Types: saloon; estate; hatchback; MPV
- Access: at least four doors
- Rear Seat Width: minimum 1220 mm or 48 inches
- Luggage: space for at least two medium-sized suitcases
- Effective Period: 2026-04-01 to 2027-03-31
- Fees: Full Inspection: £111.71; Partial Reinspection: £43.03; Full Reinspection: £33.58; Free Items Retest: Free
- Location: Thornliebank Depot, 190 Carnwadric Road, Thornliebank, Glasgow G46 8HR
Current official sourceCurrent vehicle inspection booking cancellation and retest rules
This records published policy, not live appointment availability or a completed transaction.
- Expiry Responsibility: the customer must book before the inspection expiry date; a vehicle not inspected by expiry must be taken out of service until it passes
- Free Change Window: cancel or reschedule more than 24 hours in advance without charge
- Full Charge: cancellation or rescheduling within 24 hours, or failure to attend, is charged in full
- Refund: only overpayment is considered, subject to council discretion; no refund for cancellation within 24 hours
- Reinspection: book only after defects are rectified and within 10 calendar days of the original inspection
Current official sourceCurrent vehicle substitution requirements and costs
The costs are council charges; the live form route and payment outcome were not tested.
- Pass Certificate: vehicle inspection pass certificate dated within the previous 12 months
- Local Certificate Reuse: a valid East Renfrewshire pass certificate within 12 months may avoid another inspection
- Private Hire Vehicle Onto Taxi Licence Rule: a private-hire vehicle cannot be substituted onto a taxi vehicle licence without a vehicle inspection
- Documents: insurance certificate or cover note; MOT where applicable; inspection certificate; V5 registration document or bill of sale
- Substitution Fee: £67
- Full Inspection Fee: £111.71
- Eligibility: East Renfrewshire registered driver, or a company in East Renfrewshire with registered drivers
Current official sourceCurrent council vehicle fixture and plate item costs
The same-day wording is an aim, not a guarantee; no live order, stock or payment check was made.
- New Application: fixing kits are included in the application fee
- Items: Number Plate Bracket LBrackets: £11.00; Rigid Bridge Kit: £5.00; Flat Platform Kit: £7.00; Front Plate: £10.00; Back Plate: £11.00; Strapping Accessory Kit: £7.00; Quick Release Button And Key: £2.50
- Stated Collection Aim: same working day for orders placed before 2pm
- Collection: Council headquarters at Eastwood Park, Giffnock during the stated opening hours
Dated official source still linkedDated taxi vehicle operator conditions
These conditions remain linked but are date-uncertain and contain an age rule and legal citation requiring the explicit conflicts below.
- Core Vehicle Duties: keep the vehicle roadworthy and clean; pass annual council inspection; hold a valid MOT when more than one year old; carry the vehicle licence, MOT where applicable and insurance certificate when in use; display and protect the council plate; carry an approved secured fire extinguisher
- Accident: report verbally as soon as practicable, in writing within 14 days, present a roadworthy vehicle within two working days, and present it for re-examination after repair
- Operator Controls: keep a current list of employed taxi drivers; fulfil an accepted engagement unless prevented by sufficient cause; hold registration and insurance in the holder name or one named holder; obtain prior permission for vehicle advertising
- Meter Controls: use a council-approved and sealed taximeter; do not use it defective or with broken seals; notify removal within two working days
- Material Change: notify the council in writing as soon as reasonably practicable, including a change of radio company
- Conflicting Age Condition: do not use the taxi once it is ten years old
Dated official source still linkedDated private hire vehicle operator conditions
These conditions remain linked but are date-uncertain and contain an age rule and legal citation requiring the explicit conflicts below.
- Core Vehicle Duties: keep the vehicle roadworthy and clean; pass annual council inspection; hold a valid MOT when more than three years old; carry the vehicle licence, MOT where applicable and insurance certificate when in use; display and protect the council plate; carry an approved secured fire extinguisher
- Accident: report verbally as soon as practicable, in writing within 14 days, present a roadworthy vehicle within two working days, and present it for re-examination after repair
- Operator Controls: keep a current list of employed private-hire and taxi drivers; fulfil an accepted engagement unless prevented by sufficient cause; hold registration and insurance in the holder name or one named holder; obtain prior permission for vehicle advertising; do not display a roof sign
- Meter Controls If Fitted: use a council-approved and sealed taximeter; do not use it defective or with broken seals; notify removal within two working days
- Material Change: notify the council in writing as soon as reasonably practicable, including a change of radio company
- Conflicting Age Condition: do not use the private-hire car once it is ten years old
Current official sourceCurrent local vehicle enforcement arrangements
The page describes operating arrangements but does not establish any specific inspection or enforcement outcome.
- Officers: Community Safety Officers
- Coverage: on duty seven days a week
- Activities: random checks across locations
Current official sourceCurrent public vehicle licensing inspection and enforcement contacts
These are published public contacts and do not establish response time or case acceptance.
- Availability And General Customer Services: 0141 577 3005; customerservices@eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk
- Application And Enforcement Email: celicensing@eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk
- Inspection Amendment Cancellation And Substitution Payment Phone: 0141 577 3001
Booking-office licensing
Current statutory ruleStatutory premises and vehicle count threshold
The threshold concerns booking premises and does not itself license a vehicle, driver or commercial dispatch account.
- Licensable Premises: premises used for a business taking public bookings by any means of communication for four or more relevant taxis or private hire cars
- Equivalent Threshold: more than three relevant vehicles
- Vehicle Licence: each relevant vehicle has an in-force section 10 taxi or private hire car licence
Current statutory ruleStatutory processing duration renewal and appeal framework
These are statutory outer rules and effects, not an East Renfrewshire operational target or proof that a booking-office application is complete.
- Relevant Date: the application date, or where Finance Act 2021 tax-check confirmation rules prevent consideration on that date, the date that prevention ends
- Application Consideration: within the three-month period beginning with the relevant date
- Final Decision: within the six-month period beginning with the end of the initial three-month period
- Extension: on a licensing-authority summary application made within the six-month final-decision period, the sheriff may extend that six-month period where good reason appears
- Missed Deadline Effect: the application is deemed granted or renewed
- Deemed Temporary Duration: the period sought, capped at six weeks
- Deemed Other Duration: one year
- Ordinary Duration: three years or a shorter period determined by the licensing authority
- Temporary Maximum: six weeks
- Timely Renewal Continuation: a timely renewal keeps the existing licence in effect until grant or renewal, expiry of the appeal period after refusal, or abandonment or determination of a lodged appeal, subject where applicable to the Schedule 1 tax-check blocking branch
- Late Renewal: an application up to 28 days late may be treated as timely only where the authority considers that good cause is shown
- Appeal Eligibility: a person who may require reasons under the Schedule and who followed all available procedures for stating their case
- Appeal Method And Deadline: summary application lodged with the sheriff clerk within 28 days of the decision
- Late Appeal: the sheriff may hear a late appeal where good cause is shown
- Appeal Grounds: error of law; decision based on an incorrect material fact; action contrary to natural justice; unreasonable exercise of discretion
Current official sourceTax check conditionality and code
The current local page flags tax checks for booking-office renewals, but no current local code-submission workflow was verified.
- In Force From: 2023-10-02
- Scottish Scope: booking-office licences, not Scottish taxi or private-hire vehicle licences
- Tax Check Required: renewal; same licence type held and expired less than one year ago; same licence type already held with another licensing authority
- New Applicant Route: a genuinely new applicant, or one whose same-type licence expired at least one year ago, confirms tax responsibilities rather than completing a tax check
- Code: nine-character code
- Code Validity: 120 days
- Personal Completion: the applicant must complete their own tax check
- Ordinary Renewal Without Valid Code: an existing Scottish licence expires on the later of 28 days after the licensing authority asks for the code or the existing licence expiry date
- Temporary Licence Without Valid Code: a temporary Scottish licence expires on the later of seven days after the licensing authority asks for the code or the existing licence expiry date
Current statutory ruleRight to licence eligibility duration and cessation
The current consolidated Schedule supplies the limited-leave and cessation rules; the 2017 instrument records their application to booking-office licences.
- Grant Or Renewal Rule: the authority must be satisfied that an individual applicant is not disqualified by immigration status
- Ordinary Limited Leave: where section 3C does not apply, the licence period must end at or before the end of the person's limited leave
- Section3 CLeave: where limited leave has been extended by section 3C, the licence period must not exceed six months
- Renewal: the same duration rules apply to renewal
- Cessation: a booking-office licence ceases to have effect if its holder becomes disqualified by immigration status
Current official sourceRight to licence prescribed checks and supplemental verification
The current local form asks about right to work and possible documents but does not identify which current prescribed method East Renfrewshire uses.
- Stage: new, renewal and extension applications by an individual
- Prescribed Methods: manual check of original acceptable documents; right-to-work check using a Digital Verification Service for a British or Irish citizen, with the digital route limited to a valid passport or Irish passport card; Home Office online right-to-work check for a non-British or non-Irish citizen
- Supplemental Status Verification Enquiries And Checking Service: SVEC can verify specified cases such as an outstanding application, administrative review or appeal, a non-digital Certificate of Application or status needing Home Office verification; it is not a fourth prescribed method
- Separate Legal Entity: a limited company or limited liability partnership is outside the individual check described by the guidance
Current official sourceNational booking office applicant structures
This national guidance does not verify East Renfrewshire form acceptance, approval, availability or service timing.
- Eligible Applicant Structures: individual person; partnership; limited partnership; limited company
- Route Description: the national licence finder describes a booking-office licence for premises in Scotland where public bookings are taken for four or more taxis or private-hire cars
Current official sourceNational booking office records and reasonable steps
The as-made order states these duties and the current GOV.UK page repeats them; this is not represented as a fully consolidated copy of the order.
- Records: particulars of every booking; registration number of the vehicle hired; name of its driver
- Reasonable Steps: the licence holder must take reasonable steps to ensure that a vehicle hired as a result of a public booking is a licensed taxi or private-hire car driven by a person holding the corresponding driver licence
Current official sourceCurrent local booking office enforcement arrangements
The page describes the visit arrangement but does not establish frequency, a complete inspection protocol or an enforcement outcome.
- Officers: Community Safety Officers
- Coverage: on duty seven days a week
- Booking Office Activity: officers will introduce themselves to booking-office staff during visits
Current official sourceCurrent local booking office threshold fees submission and contact
The fee page does not state an effective date and the email submission route was not exercised.
- Local Threshold: premises used for a booking-office business serving four or more taxis or private-hire cars
- Fees: One Year: £324; Two Years: £617; Three Years: £877
- Submission: email the completed application and supporting documents
- Email: celicensing@eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk
Current official sourceCurrent local booking office application fields documents and notice
The form objection date conflicts with the general 28-day statutory objection period and is preserved as an explicit conflict.
- Applicant Structures: individual; company; partnership
- Persons: partners; directors; managers
- Premises And Operation: premises owner; days and hours; number of taxi vehicles operated; call diversion to a mobile, telephone or electronic device outside the premises
- Supporting Documents: third-party liability insurance where held; members of the public complaints policy; right-to-work share-code print where applicable; HMRC tax-check print where applicable
- Site Notice: display at or near the premises for the whole 21-day period and return the certificate after that date
- Form Objection Date: the form instructs the notice preparer to insert a date 21 days from when the application is logged
Current official sourceDated local tax check page wording
This records what the local page says; the current HMRC Scottish scope and code format take precedence in the separate national claim and conflicts.
- Effective Statement: the page describes changes from 2 October 2023
- Renewal Statement: all renewal applications require a tax-check code and will not be accepted without it
- Inconsistent Code Labels: 9-digit tax code; 9-character tax code
- New Applicant Statement: most new applicants confirm awareness of HMRC tax obligations, with specified same-type licence histories requiring a code