Ipswich Borough Council is the licensing and enforcement authority for Hackney Carriages (taxis), private hire vehicles (mini cabs) and stretched limousines within the boundary of Ipswich. All of these vehicles, as well as their drivers and operators, are required to be licensed and to comply with the relevant legislation and conditions which the Council attaches to each licence.

Our licensing regime is designed to make travel within Ipswich safer so please ensure that you only use vehicles, drivers and operators that hold appropriate licences.

Details of the main taxi and private hire companies in Ipswich can be found in the Yellow Pages or on www.yell.com.

Visit our online licensing service to:

• Apply for a licence online
• View public registers

Drivers

All drivers, prior to being licensed have to pass two tests that cover:

1. the legislation and conditions attached to the private hire driver licence;
2. their knowledge of streets and principal locations in Ipswich.

Drivers are required to be medically examined to ensure they are fit to drive and carry out their duties, such as assisting passengers with luggage.

We also require all drivers to undergo a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check before being licensed. This is repeated every three years thereafter.

All drivers are issued with a badge, which bears their photograph and badge number. This must be worn in a visible location on their clothing while they are working. Hackney carriage drivers' badges have a white background and Private hire drivers' badges have a yellow background.

Stretched limousine drivers are issued with a photo ID badge but are not required to wear it. However, they must carry their badge with them while working and make it available for inspection if requested to do so.

Vehicle licence plates

When a vehicle is licensed, we issue two plates that show:

• the number of vehicle licence;
• the make, colour and registration mark of the vehicle;
• the date of expiry of the licence.

The plates for hackney carriages have a white background and the plates for private hire vehicles have a yellow background.

The larger of these plates must be placed on the outside of the vehicle, close to the rear number plate. The smaller one is mounted on the windscreen and can be read from both inside and outside the vehicle.

Stretched limousines have two small plates, one displayed in the front windscreen and one in the passenger compartment.

Enforcement

We ensure that vehicles, drivers and operators comply with the high standards set.

All vehicles must be kept in a clean and safe condition. Failure to do so could result in the vehicle proprietor receiving a warning, or the licence being suspended or revoked.

We expect all drivers to act in a courteous, polite and professional manner towards members of the public. Failure to meet these standards could result in a warning being given or, in more serious incidents, the driver's licence being suspended or revoked.