Private hire operator

If you invite or accept bookings for Ashfield District Council private hire vehicles you will need an Ashfield District Council private hire operator licence. This means that you must have a business address located within Ashfield to be eligible to make an operator licence application.

Business location

There are 2 types of business addresses:

• Head registered office: Where the customer bookings are taken, and where all the records of the bookings are kept. You will likely need planning permission to run a private hire operator business from such a head registered office especially if the office is staffed, the public have access to the office, and you have vehicles waiting outside.
• Satellite office: Where there are no staff, no vehicles waiting, and no access to the public, for which planning permission is not needed.

Information about Satellite offices

An applicant for an operator licence who will run his/her business outside of the Ashfield District, must first hold an operator licence with the Council whose area his/her head registered office is already located.

Alternatively, if your head registered office is outside of the Ashfield area, but you have already hold an operator licence with that Council whose area your head office is in, then in order to dispatch Ashfield licensed private hire vehicles, you will need to obtain a satellite office within the Ashfield area to put forward as your business address when making an operator licence application to us.

Please note:

You cannot apply for an operator licence with us by simply naming a Satellite Office as your business address, without you first having been granted an operator licence with the Council whose area your Head Registered office is located.

All of the information needed to apply for a Private Hire Operator licence with Ashfield District Council can be found in the Operator application pack:

• document: Operator application pack

Hackney carriages (taxis) can also be pre-booked through a private hire operator. This allows the details of the journey to be recorded which helps with public safety and customer ease.

You must not operate without the correct licence in place.

Things to consider before applying are:

• whether your operator base needs planning permission - link: planning permission
• whether you have telephone and electronic means (apps are now very popular) to take and manage bookings
• how you will keep the required records of your business - you must be able to produce these if asked by the police or by us
• if you are sub-contracting and taking bookings from another operator they are keeping the right records
• if you are sub-contracting bookings you have taken to another company you are keeping the right records and can produce them
• drivers are not working excessive hours which might put themselves and the public at risk.

How to apply

You will need to download the application pack from this page, complete the forms and make your payment through our online system using a debit or credit card. If you have any issues accessing the application pack, please email us for assistance:

• email: licensing@ashfield.gov.uk.

You then need to contact us to book a virtual appointment to submit your application. You do not need to attend this appointment in person.

Telephone us to book your virtual appointment:

• telephone: 01623 457589

Send applications by email at:

• email: licensing@ashfield.gov.uk.

How much does it cost?

We usually grant a private hire operator licence for 5 years but you can apply for a shorter duration, at a lower cost.

• Operator 1-year licence fee - New licence / Licence renewal - £260
• Operator 2-year licence fee - New licence / Licence renewal - £380
• Operator 3-year licence fee - New licence / Licence renewal - £500
• Operator 4-year licence fee - New licence / Licence renewal - £620
• Operator 5-year licence fee - New licence / Licence renewal - £740
• Safeguarding test - Test resit fee - £15
• Amendment to licence - £15
• Copy of licence - £5

You can pay using our online system using a debit or credit card.

Pay for your private hire operator licence application

Safeguarding vulnerable passengers course

All new operators are required to attend our safeguarding vulnerable passengers course.

The aim of this short session is to raise your awareness as to the indicators of risk that would enable you to identify a person who is at risk of abuse, neglect, trafficking, and to whom to raise your concerns.

Other ways to contact us about a private hire operator licence

If you have a question about licensing or want to make a complaint about a taxi or private hire operator, vehicle or driver, you can contact us.