The Licensing authority of East Cambridgeshire District Council is responsible for licensing persons who wish to work in the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire trade within the East Cambridgeshire District Council's district boundary, although once licensed bookings may be accepted from outside the district boundary.
The primary purpose of the legislation that controls the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire trade is to protect members of the general public from using unsafe vehicles driven by unsuitable persons.
In order to accomplish this the council issues driver licences, vehicle licences, and private hire operator licences.
The maximum fares that can be charged by a hackney carriage proprietor for all journeys commencing and ending within the district, and for all other journeys unless a different fare is pre-agreed prior to the journey commencing was updated on 28 September 2022. The current table of maximum fare can be found on this page.
The Equality Act 2010 makes it an offence for a driver to refuse to carry an assistance dog, or to charge more for doing so. It also enables a council to maintain a list of approved wheelchair accessible vehicles. If a council chooses to maintain this list, it also becomes an offence for the driver to refuse to carry a wheelchair bound passenger, or to charge more for doing so, or to refuse to offer reasonable mobility assistance before, during and after the journey, when using one of these vehicles to fulfil a booking.
The council passed a resolution on 26 June 2017 to maintain a list of wheelchair accessible vehicles.
Although not an offence under the Equality Act 2010, it is considered a breach of licence conditions for the driver of a vehicle not on the designated list to refuse to carry a wheelchair bound passenger where it is safe to do so in their vehicle, or to charge more, or to fail to provide reasonable assistance.
It is also considered a breach of licence conditions for all parties involved in a booking if they refuse to carry a wheelchair bound passenger where it is safe to do so, or to charge more for doing so, or to fail to provide reasonable assistance, or to refuse to carry an assistance dog, or to charge more for doing so.
If a driver is exempted from any of these provisions they will display a prescribed sign on the vehicle's window.
The Immigration Act 2016 places a duty on the council to ensure that no person obtains a Hackney Carriage or Private Hire driver and operator licence if they do not have a legal right to work in the UK. Upon first application (and upon first renewal after 1 December 2016 for existing licence holders) applicants will be required to prove their right to work in the UK by supplying one of the official documents listed in the document below. The applicant must be present when the document is supplied, it is not possible for the document to be presented by another person. A copy of the document will be retained, at the instruction of the Home Office.
From 6 April 2022 persons relying on Biometric Residence Permits/Cards and Frontier Worker Permit Holders must use the Home Office right to work system, link below. These documents can no longer be presented in person.
Please note, if you provide a document from list B you will be required to produce proof of right to work upon all future renewal dates.