Purpose

The Council’s current
hackney carriage and private hire vehicle licensing policy was
adopted on the 22 November 2023 and gave delegated authority to the
Corporate Director of Place, in consultation with the Executive
Member for Communities and Safety, to bring the implementation date
for vehicle age and emission standards (for existing licensed
vehicles) forward from 1 April 2026 should it be deemed appropriate
in support of the Clean Air agenda.

Decision

That the following amendments
to the compliance date for vehicle age and emissions standards, be
approved in order to ensure that
Trafford licensed vehicles meet the minimum emissions
standards:
 
Hackney
Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Age Standard
 
•   Private Hire Vehicles
(PHV) – must be less than 10 years old
•   PHV Wheelchair
Accessible Vehicles – must be less than 15 years
old
•   Purpose built Hackney
Carriage Vehicles – must be less 15 years old
•   To remove the
exceptional condition (age) test.
 
That the standard be implemented for new to licence vehicles
from the 1 December 2023 and that the existing fleet be compliant
with the policy standard by 31 December 2025, which will mean that
from the 1 January 2025 a vehicle licence will not be renewed if
the vehicle does not meet this standard.
 
Hackney
Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Emission Standard
 
To
require licensed vehicles to be compliant with the current Euro
emissions standard - (Petrol Euro 4 - vehicles registered from 1
January 2006) and (Diesel Euro 6 - vehicles registered from
September 2015):
 
•   For new to licence
vehicles from the 1 January 2022; and for the existing fleet
vehicles are compliant with the policy standard by 31 December
2025*, which will mean that from the 1 January 2025 a vehicle
licence will not be renewed if the vehicle does not meet this
standard.
 
    *vehicle must also be
compliant with the age policy.