Taxi and Private Hire Car Licences

Taxis can be hired at a taxi rank, hailed in the street or booked in advance through a booking office. All taxis have signs on their roof which are illuminated when they are available for hire. Private hire cars must be booked in advance and they are required to display signage indicating this. Drivers of both taxis and private hire cars require to be licensed by the council following a thorough vetting process.

All West Lothian taxis accommodate between 5 and 7 passengers and must be

• accessible by passengers travelling within wheelchairs by means of suitable ramps into the side doors of the vehicle
• fitted with hi-visibility interior features, interior grab rails , a retractable step and a  loop system for use by hearing impaired travellers

Private Hire Cars can be either

• saloon vehicles licensed to carry only 4 passengers; or
• larger vehicles fitted with rear passenger lifts which are licensed to carry 8 passengers; these vehicles are suitable for passengers travelling within heavier or bulkier wheelchairs who cannot easily access a vehicle by means of a ramp

All taxis are required to have meters and almost all private hire cars have meters. Where no meter is fitted the driver is required to agree a fixed fare with the passenger before the journey commences and you can access the current  fare table [462.24KB]

These are the maximum metered fares which can be charged for journeys in taxis and metered private hire cars within the West Lothian Council area. Drivers are required to let passengers see the metered fare at the end of a journey.

For journeys starting or ending outwith West Lothian agreement must be reached before the journey commences either to (1) charge a fixed fare or (2) use the meter.

For journeys within West Lothian the meter should always be used (provided one is fitted) and any fixed fare charged cannot be more than the metered fare.

The following lists contain details of current licence holders, these lists are updated regularly and at least every 12 weeks and give details of the name, licence number and vehicle information. For the avoidance of doubt this is the only information available to members of the public.

Taxi Vehicle Licenceholders Current List of Taxi Vehicles [69.0KB]

Private Hire Car Vehicle Licenceholders Current List of Private Hire Car Vehicles [90.47KB]

Taxi Driver Licenceholders Current Taxi Drivers [63.27KB]

Private Hire Car Driver Licenceholders Current Private Hire Car Drivers [79.55KB]

The following lists contain details of licence holders whose licences are currently suspended, these lists are updated regularly and at least every 12 weeks and give details of the name and licence number. For the avoidance of doubt this is the only information available to members of the public List of Suspended Hire Car Licences [58.43KB]

In relation to the suspended licences it is possible that the suspensions can be revoked in future. You can contact the Licensing Team at licensingservices@westlothian.gov.uk to ensure that licences are valid.

Complaints regarding taxi or private vehicles and drivers may be made to the Licensing Team. These must be in writing either by letter or email licensingservices@westlothian.gov.uk and give all the information you can about the driver or the vehicle. Please include brief details of the complaint giving the date, time and location of the incident.

Complaints cannot be investigated unless received in the required format.

All complaints which are received in writing, either by letter or email are referred to the TEC for investigation. If your complaint involves an allegation that the licence holder has committed an offence you must report this first to Police Scotland by calling 101 or attending at a police station. Once you have a crime reference number you should make your complaint to the Licensing Team and include the crime reference number.

Further Information about Taxi and Private Hire Cars