Wychavon....New licensing rules for private hire vehicles

New licensing rules for private hire vehicles

FROM the end of January private hire vehicles with less than nine seats will need to be licensed, including those that were previously exempt.

The new rules, that come into effect on Monday, January 28, will mean that as well as issuing licenses for vehicles and drivers, officers from Wychavon will be able to carry out safety checks on vehicles and suitability checks on drivers.

Limousine hire, airport travel, chauffeur services, novelty vehicles and executive hire arrangements, and their drivers, will now be subject to the same safety and checking requirements as all other commercial private hire vehicles.

Graham Simms, from the licensing team, said: "This new law will mean that residents are safer than ever when they get into a hired vehicle and we'll be working hard to make sure businesses are aware of how the new law will affect them."

Whilst the changes will not affect most car sharing schemes, the licensing team is encouraging anyone who is not certain of their position to contact them for further information, as businesses and drivers who are not properly licensed risk significant fines.

Never mind other places, what's sheffield Council doing about this is what I want to know?