Vehicle renewal applications
All renewal applications must be made and payment received 10 working days before your licence expires. Your licence is at risk if you do not renew before the date of expiry. A new application will need to be submitted if your licence has expired. There are different rules for Hackney carriage vehicle proprietor licences. A new application for a hackney carriage vehicle proprietor licence cannot be submitted – your licence is at risk if you do not renew it before the date of expiry regardless if you are also replacing the vehicle.
In all applications to replace a vehicle with a new/newer vehicle, the completed and signed Hackney carriage vehicle compatibility questionnaire must accompany the application.
Vehicle stipulations
A hackney carriage vehicle or wheelchair accessible private hire vehicle can be licensed until it is 15 years old. For a standard private hire vehicle the maximum age is 10 years old. Vehicles licensed on 24 January 2022 will have until 31 December 2025 to update their vehicle with one that's compliant and will not be licensed after that.
Following a report considered by the Licensing and Appeals Committee on 24 January 2022, private hire vehicles licensed by Manchester City Council are no longer restricted to white or silver coloured vehicles.
Private Hire vehicles are licensed under Section 48 of the Local Government [Miscellaneous Provisions] Act 1976. This places a duty on Licensing Authorities to be satisfied that - in issuing a licence under this section - the vehicle is not of such design and appearance as to lead anyone to believe that the vehicle is a Hackney Carriage. In Manchester, our Hackney Carriage Vehicle Policy requires that only certain types of approved, purpose-built Hackney Carriages can be licensed. It also states that - unless they are the London style of Black Cab - they also have to be black in colour. In practice therefore, this means that if a vehicle is presented to the Council for licensing as a private hire vehicle and is black in colour, the application may be refused - particularly if the vehicle looks similar to vehicles currently licenced as Hackney Carriages by the Council (eg Mercedes Vito and Ford Procab.)
- Vehicle renewal
- Replacement vehicle
- Transfer request
- Change vehicle registration (personalised plate)
- CCTV in vehicle
- Safety screens in vehicle
- Statutory declaration for owners
- Change in vehicle policy Oct 2012 - to allow hackney carriage vehicles to operate beyond the current age restrictions
- Advertise on a licensed vehicle