Cambridge City Council - Taxi Licensing Vehicle Testing Stations

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Cambridge City council is responsible for the licensing of Hackney Carriage Vehicles and Private hire Vehicles within the city. A requirement of being licensed with Cambridge City Council, is the licenced vehicle must be tested and pass a certificate of Compliance before they can be licenced. Once licenced they must undergo a Certificate of Compliance every 6 months. This is to ensure that the vehicle is mechanically fit and proper for its purpose as a licenced vehicle. The council currently has 377 vehicles licenced, all of which require 2 vehicle tests per year. At present, vehicles are inspected and tested at the council garage. The council would like to now review if there are companies who are interested in the testing/inspecting of these vehicles. The companies will be required to comply with council requirements. Inspections will not only cover the mechanical fitness of the vehicle (which must be to MOT standard), but also take into account its condition, cleanliness, the accuracy of the taximeter if fitted, also its suitability if appropriate, for use as a wheelchair accessible vehicle. Further to this, inspections will be required to ensure vehicle meet the councils current policy requirements. Inspections and tests are also required throughout the year for new or replacement vehicles and those repaired following accident damage. Wheelchair accessible vehicles, in addition to the full vehicle inspection, will also be required to undergo a short initial wheelchair vehicle specification test. Vehicles that fail a test will be permitted a re-test in line with DVSA guidance. Vehicles submitted outside of these guidelines will once again be subject to payment of the full vehicle inspection fee. When vehicles fail their MOT or certificate of compliance the garage will be required to immediately notify the council via e-mail by sending a testing check list letter. The MOT and Certificate of Compliance must be completed in triplicate, the first copy is to be given to the owner of the vehicle, the second copy is to be forwarded to the Licensing Team via email at Cambridge City Council and the third copy retained by the Vehicle Examiner in accordance with the requirements for retaining MOT data. It may, on occasions be necessary for an Officer of the Council's Licensing Section to attend a vehicle examination. At such times the appointed vehicle examiner (subject to HSE requirements) will be required to give the Licensing Officer access to the vehicle testing area.