Taxi licensing policies and systems

Open for comments from Monday 6 July 2026 to Sunday 2 August 2026.

Cambridge City Council is consulting on updates to areas of the Taxi and Private Hire licensing framework. The proposed changes include the introduction of a new Convictions Policy, a revised Enforcement Management System (EMS), and updates to the existing Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy.

The Convictions Policy

The new Convictions Policy has been introduced to guide decisions on whether an individual is a “fit and proper person” to hold a taxi or private hire driver licence, operator licence, or vehicle licence.

While the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy states that consideration should be given to an applicant’s history of convictions and cautions, it does not provide the same level of detail as the convictions policies adopted by neighbouring authorities within Cambridgeshire.

The Convictions Policy is based on the Department for Transport’s Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards and will be incorporated into Appendix S of the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Taxi Handbook.

Proposed Convictions policy

The Enforcement Management System

The Enforcement Management System contained within the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Taxi Handbook has been reviewed with input from enforcement officers and the necessary amendments have been proposed.

The previous three levels of enforcement have been expanded to five levels to reflect recent policy changes, including the introduction of CCTV, daily vehicle checks, and the wider use of reminders or warnings for low level offences.

The revised five level structure provides enforcement officers with greater flexibility, ensuring that only the most serious cases are referred to the Sub-Committee. Enforcement actions have also been clarified, and the introduction of the Convictions Policy has been appropriately incorporated.

Proposed Enforcement Management System

Changes to the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy

The proposed policy changes could have an impact on the trade and members of the public. Therefore, we are hosting a consultation before decision is made on changes.

The proposed changes focus on the following:

To extend the maximum duration of newly granted driver licences to 36 months (three years), replacing the current limit of 12 months (one year).
Drivers are required to complete safeguarding training and obtain certificate as part of every renewal application. Vehicle proprietors and operators must complete the training every three years as part of their non-driver proprietor registration. Certificates must be dated within 3 months of renewal or new licence start date.
Hackney Carriage vehicles that currently benefit from 'grandfather rights' to use non-wheelchair accessible vehicles (plates 1–121) will retain this provision, and upon surrender or revocation of the licence, the plate may continue to be assigned as a non-wheelchair accessible vehicle.
Proprietors wishing to licence an imported Ultra-low emissions vehicle (ULEV) must provide official evidence of the vehicle's CO₂ emissions. Some imported ULEVs may be recorded on GOV.UK as having emissions of 0 g/km, which may be inaccurate. If the Council cannot verify the vehicle's CO₂ emissions, or satisfactory evidence is not provided, the vehicle will not be licensed, as the Council cannot determine whether it meets the required threshold of 75 g/km CO₂ or below.
Require applicants who have lived or resided outside the UK for a period of three months or more within the five years prior to their application or renewal to provide a certificate of good conduct from the relevant embassy or consulate covering that period. Where such a certificate cannot be obtained, the applicant or licence holder must submit a sworn declaration and a character reference, along with evidence demonstrating that reasonable attempts were made to obtain the certificate.

To request the survey in another format, please email communications@cambridge.gov.uk.

Next steps

Following the consultation, a final report will be presented to members at General Purposes and Licensing Committee on Monday 7 September 2026. Final reports will be published prior to meeting.