Any vehicles used as a private hire vehicle must be licensed as a private hire vehicle or as a hackney carriage.

Hackney carriages may be used as private hire vehicles but private hire vehicles can only be used for private hire.  

Conditions are attached to the licence for vehicle safety and comfort and also to ensure that a private hire vehicle could not be mistaken for a hackney carriage.  Private hire vehicles can only be used for pre-bookings and cannot be hailed in the street or pick up from the rank.  

Private hire vehicles have blue identification plates which show the Council's logo, the vehicle plate number, the vehicle registration number and the expiry date of the licence.