Taxis

We issue and enforce hackney carriage and private hire vehicle licences for those people who wish to drive a taxi in North Somerset.

You can visit our fees and charges page for information about how much these licences and other charges cost.

Taxis are either hackney carriages or private hire vehicles. Hackney carriages can pick up customers from taxi ranks or ply for hire in the street while private hire vehicles can only carry pre-booked passengers.

Anyone applying for a hackney carriage driver's licence will also be given a test of the local area and the laws affecting these vehicles.

We are also responsible for regulating vehicle standards, private hire taxi firms and taxi ranks.

As part of this process we make sure they perform to the highest standards and operate within strict guidelines to ensure your safety.

We have recently produced a taxi licensing policy which sets out standards and policies for the licensing of vehicles, drivers and private hire operators.

For more information contact our Licensing team or visit our service standards page and download our Environmental and Consumer Services service standards.

For information about taxi ranks contact our Streets and Open Spaces service. For information about minibus permits for voluntary organisations contact our Transport Services team.