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Nottingham City Council extends taxi licensing age limits after public consultation
Nottingham City Council taxi licensing age limits have been extended following a public consultation and approval by the Regulatory and Appeals Committee.
This change, effective from 1 April, revises the previous Age and Specification policy.
Under the new regulations, private-hire vehicles and hackney carriages can now be initially licensed if they are up to ten years old, an increase from the previous four and six-year limits respectively. The vehicles may continue operating under licence until they are 15 years old from the date of first registration.
To maintain safety standards, private-hire vehicles will undergo annual enhanced MOTs for the first ten years, or eleven years if the vehicle is fully electric. After this period, they will require additional mechanical checks every six months. Hackney carriages will similarly receive annual MOTs until they are 11 years old, followed by biannual inspections.
The committee's decision came after considering public support for more lenient age restrictions during the consultation phase. This feedback indicated a strong backing for the extension, allowing older vehicles to remain in service.
Nottingham conducts regular enforcement operations in collaboration with multiple agencies, alongside random inspections by council officers to ensure that all taxis meet safety requirements. Vehicles found with defects are subject to immediate suspension of their licences.
This policy update marks the first significant revision since the original document was adopted in December 2017, aiming to adapt to market changes and updated national guidelines. The council has outlined these changes with a view towards full implementation by 1 January 2030.
Councillor Audrey Dinnall, Chair of Nottingham City Council’s Regulatory and Appeals Committee, said: “We’ve listened to taxi drivers in Nottingham and these changes, supported by a public consultation, have been introduced because we understand the pressures felt by the trade in recovering from the pandemic, the national cost-of-living crisis and changes to customer demand.”
Councillor Sajid Mohammed, Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods, Safety and Inclusion at Nottingham City Council, said: “We’re working with partners and stakeholders to support and promote the taxi trade, making it as resilient as possible.
“It’s an industry which provides close to 3,000 jobs in our city and it’s right that we work with drivers and taxi firms to show that this is a safe and convenient mode of transport to get around Nottingham.
“We hope that this policy change will provide further reassurance to the public around the vigorous and frequent checks that licensed vehicles are subjected to, while at the same time encouraging more drivers to register with Nottingham City Council.
“This benefits everyone because when drivers are licensed with us we can provide that direct support and, at the same time, reassure customers that the vehicles they get into are safe and maintained to the highest standards.”
Hackney driver Amjid Hussain said: “We, as the local trade, welcome these licensing changes. They were necessary to bring us in line with the taxi industry up and down the country.
“It would not have been possible without the relevant departments working vigorously to make it happen, so I’d also like to thank the council officers and the councillors involved.”
