As many PHV drivers may be aware the rules for private hire vehicle licensing are changing, from the 1st of January 2023, TfL will no longer issue private hire vehicle licensing to new vehicles unless they are Zero Emission Capable (ZEC). So, from this date onwards if you want to license a new vehicle to use for private hire work, you will need to make sure it is a zero-emission vehicle, for example, an electric vehicle.
One of the issues arising from this is that drivers who own nonzero emission vehicles and are looking to start working as PHV drivers in the future are booking their private hire vehicle licensing inspections early. Due to the increased number of vehicles requiring inspections, existing drivers who have their private hire vehicle licenses expiring in December 2022 are finding it difficult to get an inspection date.
TfL has recently published Notice 16/22 which identifies these issues and to combat them they have decided to automatically extend the PHV license for vehicle licenses that expire in December 2022 by 4 months. This means drivers who use private hire vehicles that have a PHV licence which expires in December 2022 can continue working without the need to renew their private hire vehicle licence for four more months.
Things to keep in mind:
- If your PHV licence has expired or is due to expire between 1 December 22 and 31 December 22, you will still be licensed for a period of 4 calendar months.
- You must still undertake an MOT inspection as normal, the extension doesn’t mean you don’t have to complete the vehicles MOT inspection.
- The 4-month period will begin on the day the current vehicle licence is due to expire. For example, if your vehicle licence is due to expire on 14 December 2022, it will remain licensed until 14 April 2023.
- The rule applies to any PHV vehicle regardless of whether an inspection has been booked or not. If you had a booking already, then it is now cancelled. So do not attend the vehicle inspection site.
- If you have a booking and would prefer to still go ahead with the inspection, you will need to contact TfL’s priority renewal booking line on 0330 1755 928
- Because of the high demand in vehicle inspection appointments, if you do attend an inspection your PHV licence discs will not be replaced.
- All vehicle owners who are affected by these changes will receive a letter through the post. And as you know from the TfL SERU test questions, PHV drivers should always read letter or emails from TfL.
- Vehicle owners are required to ensure an MOT is undertaken for their vehicle to a period of further licensing in December and must undertake a further MOT ahead of its next vehicle licensing inspection appointment in April 2023.
- If your vehicle has already been inspected in December 2022, then these changes do not apply to your vehicle.
- If your vehicle recently failed its inspection, the changes mention in Notice 16/22 do not apply to you. You will still need to get your vehicle inspected and passed to continue using it for Private Hire purposes.
As always TfL highlights that it is the vehicle owner’s responsibility to ensure their vehicle is roadworthy and meets all regulatory requirements, which include road tax, MOT and hire or reward insurance. Private hire drivers are responsible to check their vehicles are roadworthy before every journey.
Book Private Hire Vehicle Inspection Online
If you need to book your private hire vehicle in for inspection at a future date, you can do so easily using TfL’s online booking portal.
