Taxi licensing best practice consultation

Overview

We want to hear the views of the public, our licensees, and other partners on potential changes to the Buckinghamshire Council hackney carriage and private hire licensing policy. 

We introduced the first hackney carriage and private hire licensing policy for Buckinghamshire in September 2021.  The policy sets out how we regulate taxis (hackney carriage vehicles) and minicabs (private hire vehicles) across Buckinghamshire (excluding Milton Keynes).   

The current hackney carriage and private hire licensing policy (Buckinghamshire Council website).

We recognise that most people use the word ‘taxi’ to describe both types of vehicles, so we will use it in that way and only make distinctions between the two where relevant.   

Why we want to hear from you

We are committed to reviewing our taxi licensing policy every five years. However, in November 2023 the Department for Transport updated their best practice guidance (BPG) for taxi licensing which differed in some key areas from our own licensing policy. Because of this we have decided on an early review of our policy. This consultation is part of the review. 

The BPG is centred around ensuring public safety, accessibility and high standards for service.  Our main priorities are public safety, working effectively with taxi services and reflecting customer needs.  Our policy aims to balance the needs of passengers and those of local taxi operators and drivers.   

What we have done so far

Following the publication of the government BPG in November 2023, we have held several workshops with stakeholders, including representatives from both the hackney carriage and private hire trades, passenger groups and officers within the licensing service.  These workshops helped to identify the key areas for consultation. 

Based on the workshops and in view of the BPG being only a recommendation, it is considered that a consultation on the principles is more appropriate than proposing actual changes to the policy at this stage.  The results of this consultation will provide us with more information about how the recommendations are viewed and/or could be implemented in Buckinghamshire (excluding Milton Keynes).   

What we are asking

We want your views on the following areas of the guidance: 

• driver application requirements
• vehicle licensing requirements
• accessibility
• CCTV in licensed vehicles
• private hire operators

All questions on the guidance are optional, so you can skip any section you don't want to answer. 

At this stage we are not asking about the criminal records and unacceptable behaviour section of the licensing policy - Appendix 4: criminal records and unacceptable behaviour policy (Buckinghamshire Council website). This will be the subject of a separate consultation based on work being carried out by the Institute of Licensing. 

Related documents and links

Before you respond to this activity, please have a look at the following documents and web links:

• Taxi and private hire vehicle licensing best practice guidance for licensing authorities in England (Gov.UK website)  
• Document comparing government best practice guidance with existing Buckinghamshire Council policy (PDF 0.5MB) 
• Report to the Buckinghamshire Council Licensing Committee (PDF 0.3MB) 

How to have your say  

You can tell us your views in one of the following ways: 

• complete the online survey using the link at the end of the page
• complete, and return, a printed version of the survey (PDF 0.6MB)
• email us at taxilicensing@buckinghamshire.gov.uk
• write to us at Taxi Licensing, Buckinghamshire Council, The Gateway, Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP19 8FF

If you have any questions about this activity, or require this information in another format or language, please email us at taxilicensing@buckinghamshire.gov.uk or phone us on 01296 585605 

Please tell us your views by 11:59pm on 24 November 2024. 

What happens next 

Once the consultation has closed, we will review the responses we have received. These will inform the decision on how the existing policy should be amended.   

Privacy

We will use the information you provide here only for this activity. We will store the information securely in line with data protection laws and will not share or publish any personal details. For more information about data and privacy, please see our privacy policy.

If you have questions about data and privacy, please email us on dataprotection@buckinghamshire.gov.uk or write to our Data Protection Officer at Buckinghamshire Council, The Gateway, Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury, HP19 8FF.