Chauffeur Driven Cars and Limousines

At present, in England and Wales (outside London) a vehicle is exempt from the requirement to be licensed as a private hire vehicle if it is used for contract work which lasts for more than seven days. This is commonly known as 'the contract exemption'. Neither the driver of the vehicle nor the operator who arranges the hire needs to be licensed.

Section 53 of the Road Safety Act 2006 repeals the contract exemption and will come into force in January 2008. Examples of vehicles that may be affected by this change include those commonly used for school & hospital contracts, limousines, airport transfers, chauffeur-driven services and volunteer vehicles. The vehicles, drivers and operators will need to be licensed.

The Council's licensing team is expecting about 100 new applications and is urging chauffeurs to contact them sooner rather than later to ensure their business can continue legally when the new regulations come into force.  Application forms for vehicles, drivers and operators.

Further Information and Contact Details

For any further information or assistance, please contact the Licensing Section.

By telephone: 01628 683840

By email: licensing@rbwm.gov.uk

By post: Legal Services, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Town Hall, St Ives Road, Maidenhead SL6 1RF