Renfrewshire Council

Booking office licence for taxi and private car hire

How to apply, what documents you need, how much the licence costs, how long an application takes, who is consulted, objections and representations, conditions of the licence, how long the licence lasts for.

You need a licence for premises that takes bookings, by any means of communication, from members of the public for hire of a taxi or private hire vehicle.

You do not need a licence if your booking service has 3 vehicles or less operating at any given time.

If you are operating more than 3 bookable vehicles, you will need a booking office licence.


How to apply for a licence

We now accept booking office licence applications online, including the use of electronic signatures.

You can apply, upload and sign for your supporting documents and pay for the licence online.

  Apply online for booking office licence 

You can see the Council's policy on electronic licensing applications in Appendix 1 of the report to  the Regulatory Functions Board meeting on 15 September 2022.

See the booking office licence application pack [372KB] for guidance on the conditions of the licence, Display Notice and Certificate of compliance.


What documents you need to provide

You need to provide these documents with your application and the licence fee:

  • a layout plan of the premises
  • a public liability insurance certificate
  • a detailed written policy for dealing with complaints from members of the public

See the guidance notes for details about what evidence of entitlement to work are accepted.


What you need to do after you've applied

Applicants must display a public notice at the proposed premises, along with a copy of the application form, for a period of 21 days once the application has been lodged. However the last date for objections which must be stated on the public notice must be exactly 28 days from the date the application with lodged with the Licensing Section.

At the end of the 21 day period, you must sign and return a certificate of compliance to confirm that you have displayed the notice for the statutory period. The display notice and compliance certificate are contained within the Booking Office Application Pack which can be found in the related content area of the website.


How much it costs

See the costs for licences on the civic application fees for licences page.


How long your application will take

All applications made under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 must be considered within three months and a decision made within nine months.


Who is consulted about your application

A copy of your application will be sent to Police Scotland, Scottish Fire & Rescue, Local Councillor, Community Councillor, Community Resources, Planning department, Roads departments and where the premises are within Paisley Town Centre the Town Centre Manager. They will carry out their own investigations and report back to the licensing section.


If there are objections or representations to your application

If an objection or representation is received the application must be considered at a meeting of the Regulatory Functions Board. You will be formally cited to attend the meeting and a copy of the letter of objection or representation will be sent out to you with the citation letter.


Conditions of the licence

The conditions of licence are contained within the Booking Office Application Pack which can be found in the related content area of the website.

A copy of the conditions of licence for booking offices will be issued to you if your licence is granted. The council requires all licenceholders to have a thorough understanding of these conditions and they should be kept as they form part of your licence.


How long the licence lasts for

Applications for the grant of a licence are generally granted for a period of one year. Applications to renew an existing licence are normally granted for a two year period.