Acceptable Condition Standard

A vehicle in “acceptable condition” should be exactly that. Bodywork, paint, mechanical components and interior should be in acceptable condition.

Mechanically, the vehicle should be regularly serviced at least in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations and taking into account the additional demands of private hire use. Cosmetically, the vehicle should be in a comparable condition to vehicles of a much younger age.

The following will be considered when deciding if a vehicle is in “acceptable condition”.

1. Mechanically, no item should show age, deterioration or cause any concern that the vehicle is less than 100% safe to use on the road.
2. Bodywork should be close to perfect with no damage, dents or excessive scratching. The overall appearance of the vehicle should be excellent and there should be no rust or deterioration on any body panel.
3. The paint should have no signs of dullness or fading. The colour of all body panels should match and the finish should be comparable to vehicles of a much younger age.
4. The underside of the vehicle should be free from any excessive damage and should not show any signs of rust or other deterioration.
5. The interior of the vehicle, including all carpets, seats, boot lining and other trim should be clean and showing minimum signs of wear. The interior and trim must be free of any tears, cuts or burn marks and should be dry and hold no offensive odours.
6. The vehicle’s previous test history may be taken into consideration when deciding if a vehicle is in “acceptable condition”.

In addition to the above points, once a vehicle has reached the age of 10 years, if the vehicle is tested and fails to the extent that the plates are removed from the vehicle, it is clear that the vehicle owner has failed to maintain it in acceptable condition, the vehicle will be permanently removed from the fleet and the Council will not normally grant a licence in respect of that vehicle again.

To increase confidence that older vehicles are being maintained correctly, owners will be required to keep a schedule of the maintenance which has been carried out on the vehicle. This must include the following…

1. Documentary evidence that the vehicle has been regularly serviced at least in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations.
2. Documentary evidence of any work carried out on the vehicle, including receipts for parts etc.
3. Documentary evidence that regular checks are carried out on the vehicle both by the drivers (on a daily basis) and by the owner (on a weekly basis) to include tyres, lights, glass, fluid levels and overall condition of the vehicle.