Issue - meetings

To consider a proposed amendment to condition 1.4 of the Council’s private hire vehicle conditions.

The Committee considered a report regardingcondition 1.4 of the Council’s private hire vehicle conditions.

At its meeting on 13 March 2009, the Licensing Committee had approved licence conditions in relation to private hire vehicles for implementation from 1 April 2009.  The Committee had also resolved that a further consultation exercise be undertaken with the holders of private hire vehicle licences on a proposal to amend the wording of condition 1.4.  During the consultation period, four responses had been received.

Although the original purpose of the proposed amendment had been to more effectively limit the size of private hire vehicles which may be licensed, committee members were of the opinion that it would also improve passengers’ chances of escaping from vehicles in the case of accident or emergency.

RESOLVED – That condition 1.4 of the Council’s private hire vehicle conditions for initial licence applications be amended to read as follows:

“It shall have a minimum of four doors of which either (a) in circumstances where the rear door of the vehicle is not a ‘split door,’ two doors shall be on the near side and two on the offside or (b) in circumstances where the rear door of the vehicle is a ‘split door,’ at least three doors shall be fitted to a side of the vehicle. All the doors must be capable of use by persons for both access and egress and of being opened from both the inside and the outside. If the vehicle is fitted with an electronic locking system it must be capable of being overridden to enable the doors to be opened manually.”