Taxi and private hire

Taxi Licensing Policy

Cheshire East Council approved a taxi licensing policy. This policy took effect from the 1 November 2022. All applications and taxi matters received after the this date will be processed and determined in line with this policy. Any previous policies or conditions will be superseded.

• Hackney carriage and private hire licensing policy 2022 - 2027 (PDF, 1.6MB)

Taxi and private hire licensing

If you want to carry passengers for hire and reward – the reward could be money or not – using a vehicle with eight passenger seats or fewer, you will need a licence. For example, a hotel offering a pick-up or drop-off service will need a licence, even if the passengers don’t pay a fee.

There are two main types of vehicle that we can license for public hire:

• Private Hire – with this licence, you can only work from private hire operators base.
• Hackney Carriage – with this licence you can work from the town’s taxi ranks and be hailed on the street. Hackney carriages can also work through a private hire operator.

For private hire or hackney carriage work, both the driver and vehicle must be licensed. A driver of the vehicle may also need an operator’s licence if they are taking private hire bookings directly.

Hackney carriage and private hire licensing policy 2022-2027 (PDF, 1.6MB)

Report an accident involving a taxi

This online form can be completed by or on behalf of the driver of the vehicle or a person involved in or witnessing the accident. The form will take 10 minutes to complete.

Report an accident involving a licensed vehicle

To find out how we use your information see our privacy notice (opens in a new window).

Complain about a taxi

Use this online form to complain about a taxi driver, a taxi vehicle or a taxi operator. The form will take 10 minutes to complete.

Make a complaint about a taxi

Access to public computers in Cheshire East

There are public access computers in most libraries in Cheshire East.

Privacy notice

• Taxi licensing - privacy notice

Newsletters

• Edition 1 (PDF, 309KB)
• Edition 2 (PDF, 513KB)
• Edition 3 (PDF, 449KB)

Contact Licensing