Taxi Policy - Appendix N - Private hire operator licence conditions

Administration

The operator shall provide a prompt, efficient, and reliable service to members of the public at all reasonable times.

The operator shall ensure that when a private hire vehicle has been hired to attend an appointed time and place, the vehicle shall, unless delayed or prevented by sufficient cause, punctually attend at that appointed time and place.

The operator shall notify the Authority in writing of any change of address within seven days of such change taking place.

The operator shall ensure that adequate training is provided to staff (paid and unpaid) on relevant licensing law, safeguarding policies, complaints policy and how and when to accept bookings. The training should be undertaken within one month of the commencement of these conditions or employment and thereafter, at least annually. The operator shall keep records of staff training which may be inspected at any reasonable time by an authorised officer of the Authority.

The operator shall co-operate fully with any authorised officers in respect of any enquiries or investigations carried out in respect of drivers or vehicles connected to the business or formerly connected to the business.

The operator shall not allocate any bookings to any driver or vehicle without having a copy of the current licence on file. The licence on file must be valid i.e., not expired.

The operator shall adopt, implement, review, and update a data protection policy and in doing so must ensure that any personal information obtained during the business is stored securely. Access to this information must be restricted to persons who will use it for the purpose of which it has been collected.

The operator shall adopt, implement, review, and update a documented equality policy which details how the business will comply with its requirements under the Equality Act 2010 including disability awareness and the carrying of assistance animals.

Taking and Recording of Bookings

The operator shall record the following information in respect of each booking:

Time and date booking received
Name and contact details of person making the booking
How the booking was made e.g., telephone, APP, online or in person
Time of pick up
Location of pick up
Specific destination
ID of dispatched driver
ID of dispatched vehicle
ID of person taking the booking (excludes electronic)
Any special requirements
Details of any sub-contracting to or from another private hire operator
Any fare quoted at time of booking, if requested by person making the booking

The operator shall advise a customer if the booking is being sub-contracted to another operator and if so, provide the name of the sub-contracted operator who will be undertaking the booking.

The operator shall ensure that booking records are:

Available for immediate inspection by an authorised officer
Able to be printed onto paper or downloaded in an electronic format
Continuous and chronological
Not capable of retrospective alteration or amendment
Kept as one set of records (cash and credit account bookings can be separately identified but must not be in separate records)
Are clear, legible, and retained for a minimum of 12 months from the date of the last entry.

The operator shall ensure the use of a driver who holds a passenger carrying vehicle licence and the use of a public service vehicle such as a minibus to undertake a private hire booking will not be permitted to do so without the informed consent of the person making the booking.

Other Records

The operator shall keep detailed, up to date records of every vehicle operated by the business (whether licensed as a private hire vehicle or hackney carriage). The records must include:

Name and address of the vehicle licence holder
Copy of the current vehicle licence
Date the vehicle was first used by the business to fulfil bookings and the date the operator ceased using the vehicle to fulfil bookings (where applicable)
Vehicle registration number
Any allocated unique radio/call sign allocated to the driver and vehicle

The operator shall have a system in place to ensure that no vehicle is operated when the licence or insurance has expired.

The operator shall keep detailed, up to date records of every driver operated by the business (whether licensed as a private hire vehicle or hackney carriage). The records must include:

Name and home address of the driver
The dates the driver commenced fulfilling bookings from the business and the date the driver ceased taking bookings from the business (where applicable)
Copy of the driver's current private hire or hackney carriage driver licence

The operator shall have a system in place to ensure that no driver is allocated any work once the driver's licence has expired.

Customer Complaints

The operator shall adopt, implement, review, and update a Customer Service and Complaints Policy which includes conduct of drivers and the timeframe for responding to complaints.

In respect of customer complaints, the operator shall:

Record in writing or digitally every complaint received about its service (including any driver/vehicle complaints) and details of the licence holder(s) identified as the subject of the complaint.
Investigate complaints and provide a reasonable response to the complainant outlining the findings of the investigation and any action taken
Where there are concerns regarding the conduct of a licence holder or a pattern of complaints, notify the Authority in writing

The operator shall notify the Authority immediately of any complaints, police enquiries or notifications of convictions involving any driver employed by the business that relate to matters of sexual nature, dishonesty, violence or threats of violence, drugs, or major motoring offences. This notification to the Authority must take place regardless of whether the operator terminates any contractual arrangement with the driver.

The operator shall keep all records for a period of not less than 12 months following the date of last entry and make them immediately available to authorised officers on request.

Convictions

An operator shall provide a DBS basic disclosure to the Authority on an annual basis. Where the operator is a company/partnership then each director/partner will be required to comply. This condition will not be enforced in respect of any operator who currently holds a Preston hackney carriage/private hire driver's licence.

The operator shall notify the Authority, in writing and within 48 hours of an arrest and release, charge or conviction of any sexual offence, any offence involving dishonesty or violence and any motoring offence.

Safeguarding

The operator shall require all persons working (paid or unpaid) or involved in bookings and or dispatching vehicles or having contact with private hire users for the business to provide them with a DBS basic disclosure dated within 1 month of the start date of employment/placement in the operator premises.

The operator shall require existing persons working (paid or unpaid) or involved in bookings and or dispatching vehicles or having contact with private hire users for the business to provide them with a DBS basic disclosure without delay following the implementation of this Policy.

The operator shall keep records of all persons working/involved in any capacity (paid or unpaid) for the business and include:

Full name
Address
Date of birth
Contact details
DBS issue date and certificate number
Start and finish dates of employment
Job title

Premises and Equipment

The operator shall keep that part of their premises where the public have access for the purpose of booking or waiting, clean, adequately ventilated, and well lit.

The operator shall ensure that any waiting area provided has adequate seating facilities.

The operator shall ensure that any telephone facilities and radio equipment provided are maintained in a good working condition and that any defects are repaired promptly.

The operator shall ensure all reasonable precautions are taken to ensure that activities within the operator's office and from licensed vehicles do not create a nuisance to others.

The operator shall always obtain and maintain in force a public liability insurance policy in respect of the premises to which the public have access and produce the same to an authorised officer on request.

Where the operator has premises to which the public have access, they shall display the following at their premises in a prominent position where the public have access and where they can be easily always read:

A copy of the current Operator Licence.
A schedule of fares
Information provided by the Licensing Authority in respect of passenger information
A copy of the public liability insurance policy certificate.

The operator shall ensure that any sanitary conveniences and washing facilities provided for customers and/or licensed drivers and vehicle proprietors should do so at readily accessible places in the building. They and the rooms containing them should be kept clean and be adequately ventilated and lit. Washing facilities should have running hot and cold or warm water, soap and clean towels or other means of cleaning or drying. Men and women should have separate facilities unless each facility is in a separate room with a lockable door and is for use by only one person at a time.

Lost Property

The operator shall keep a written record of lost property that is handed in by drivers or passengers. The record must include:

The date the item is handed in.
Details of where it was found.
Description of the property
Whether it was claimed and if so claimant contact details.

The log must always be available for inspection by an authorised officer and any information entered must be kept for a period of 12 months form the date of entry.

The operator shall securely store lost property for a period of 6 months, after which time it should be disposed of in a secure manner, or if appropriate donated to a charitable purpose.