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Section 53: Drivers' licences for hackney carriages and private hire vehicles.

Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 · 1976 c. 57View on legislation.gov.uk

Part II: Hackney carriages and private hire vehicles

Subject to section 53A, every licence granted by a district council under the provisions of this Part of this Act to any person to drive a private hire vehicle shall remain in force for three years from the date of such licence or for such lesser period, specified in the licence, as the district council think appropriate in the circumstances of the case .
Notwithstanding the provisions of the Public Health Act 1875 and the Town Police Clauses Act 1889, but subject to section 53A, every licence granted by a district council under the provisions of the Act of 1847 to any person to drive a hackney carriage shall remain in force for three years from the date of such licence or for such lesser period, specified in the licence, as the district council think appropriate in the circumstances of the case .

Notwithstanding the provisions of the Act of 1847, a district council may demand and recover for the grant to any person of a licence to drive a hackney carriage, or a private hire vehicle, as the case may be, such a fee as they consider reasonable with a view to recovering the costs of issue and administration and may remit the whole or part of the fee in respect of a private hire vehicle in any case in which they think it appropriate to do so.

The driver of any hackney carriage or of any private hire vehicle licensed by a district council shall at the request of any authorised officer of the council or of any constable produce for inspection his driver's licence either forthwith or—

in the case of a request by an authorised officer, at the principal offices of the council before the expiration of the period of five days beginning with the day following that on which the request is made;
in the case of a request by a constable, before the expiration of the period aforesaid at any police station which is within the area of the council and is nominated by the driver when the request is made.

If any person without reasonable excuse contravenes the provisions of this section, he shall be guilty of an offence.

About this text

This legislation text comes from legislation.gov.uk. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. These source and reuse terms cover the legislation text, not Remedy's commentary.

Reuse reviewed 21 August 2026 under Open Government Licence v3.0.