Complaints, compliments, and queries

If you have any queries or wish to make a complaint or compliment about taxis, private hire vehicles, drivers or operators please email us at licensing@huntingdonshire.gov.uk.

To view more information visit the Complaining About Taxi and Private Hire Licensing Issues page.

There are two types of taxi in operation in Huntingdonshire - private hire vehicles and hackney carriages (taxis):

Private hire vehicles

Private hire vehicles (sometimes known as minicabs) and their drivers need to be licensed by us.

All vehicles undertake an annual mechanical test known as a Certificate of Compliance (CoC). This is a test that is a higher standard than the normal MOT and is an approved standard by the DVSA. This however means that licensed vehicles do not show on the DVSA MOT check website. All taxis MUST pass the CoC before a licence can be issued. View further details of our scheme [PDF, 0.1MB]. The private hire plate, issued by us, is yellow and must be attached to the rear of the vehicle.

Private hire vehicles must be booked in advance through an operator. They cannot stand on taxi ranks or be flagged down in the street. Private hire vehicles will not be insured if the journey is not pre-booked through an operator.

The cost of a pre-booked journey is normally quoted and accepted at the time of booking. Private hire vehicles are not normally fitted with a meter and fares are generally agreed between the operator and the customer.

Further details about vehicle specifications and requirements can be found in the Taxi Licensing Policy and Conditions [PDF, 0.4MB] (valid from 1 January 2019).

Hackney carriages

Hackney carriages (also known as taxis) and their drivers need to be licensed by us.

Taxis are permitted to stand at taxi ranks within the district and pick up passengers in the street. They can also be pre-booked.

All taxis must have a meter showing the cost of the journey and a table of fares on display. The fares are set by us following consultation.

Drivers may not charge more than the amount shown on the meter as long as the journey starts and finishes within the district of Huntingdonshire. Otherwise, a fare can be negotiated between the passenger and the driver. If the taxi is pre-booked, the driver must charge the fare quoted to the customer.

All vehicles undertake an annual mechanical test known as a Certificate of Compliance (CoC). This is a test that is a higher standard than the normal M.O.T and is an approved standard by the DVSA. This however means that licensed vehicles do not show on the DVSA M.O.T check website. All taxis MUST pass the CoC before a licence can be issued. View further details of our scheme [PDF, 0.1MB].

Most hackney carriage vehicles are wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs).

However, there are still a small number of hackney carriage vehicles which are not WAVs. These are saloon or hatchback type vehicles.

The hackney carriage plate, issued by us, is blue and must be attached to the rear of the vehicle.

Further details regarding the vehicle specifications and requirements can be found in the Taxi Licensing Policy and Conditions [PDF, 0.4MB] (valid from 1 January 2019).