Taxi and private hire

A vehicle and driver must be licensed if they carry the public in their vehicle for reward. There are different licences depending on the kind of activity.

Hackney carriage 

Both the driver and vehicle must be licensed. These vehicles can be:

• hailed or booked immediately from the street
• hailed or booked immediately from a taxi rank
• pre-booked directly with the driver or other person

The maximum fares for journeys in Chorley are regulated by us and the vehicles are easily recognisable; they are white in colour with distinctive red, oval stickers on the front passenger doors, a red licence plate on the rear and a sign in the front windscreen. They will also have a 'Taxi' roof sign. The driver should clearly display their red, Chorley Council badge.

Private hire

Driver, vehicle and operator must be licensed. The operator is the person who takes bookings and dispatches vehicles- they are usually called the 'base'. Private hire vehicles must:

• be pre-booked, directly with a licensed operator
• not pick up directly and immediately from the street

The fares are not regulated and should be agreed at the time of booking. Chorley Council private hire vehicles can be any colour except white and are identifiable by the yellow plate on the rear of the vehicle, yellow, oval stickers on the front passenger doors and a sign in the front windscreen. They also have stickers advertising the 'base' on the rear passenger doors. The driver should clearly display their yellow, Chorley Council badge.

View our hackney carriage and private hire licensing policy (PDF) [795KB] .