An operator is what most customers think of as the taxi company. In law it is the person who is licensed to provide the bookings.

To do this, they will have a place from which they make their bookings and keep records.

Apply for an operators license

To apply for an operators license, you will need:

• a standard DBS or Disclosure Scotland check (this will not be necessary if a proprietor is already a Havant Borough Council licensed driver)
• a suitable premises within the borough for your office and a completed application form

The licence lasts for 5 years from the date that it is approved and you will be required to keep a record book of all the booking you take. Full details of what is required are contained in your operator licence.

Sub-contract bookings

You can sub-contract bookings if you are unable to fulfil a booking.  This can be to an operator licensed and located in Havant; an operator licensed and located in a different district from Havant (but that is governed by the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976); an operator licensed and located in London; or a person located in Scotland.

The operator to whom the booking has been sub-contracted to must use drivers and vehicles licensed by the same local authority who issued their operator licence.

The operator is responsible for the customer booking and not the driver. This is because the contract is between the operator and the customer.

Where an operator sub-contracts the job to another operator, the original operator remains responsible for ensuring the contract is properly fulfilled and must keep booking records of the sub-contracted journeys.

Operators with offices or bases in multiple council areas (for which they will need licences from each council concerned) can pass bookings between their bases, but cannot give jobs directly to drivers licensed by the other councils. The operator will also need to maintain separate records for each council area, which also show every job which has been sub-contracted to or from another office.

Where jobs are sub-contracted to another operator, we strongly advise that the customer is made aware of this to avoid any confusion arising.