Taxis in Buckinghamshire
About Taxi and Private Hire
We are responsible for dealing with all applications for taxi licences, both hackney carriages and private hire, including drivers, vehicles and operators. We also deal with complaints and enforcement relating to hackney carriage and private hire.
Taking a cab - are you at risk?
Always check whether a taxi and its driver are licensed before getting in. Licensed vehicles must display the official Buckinghamshire Council licence plate, door signs and window cards. Licensed drivers are required to wear a badge. From the 1 April 2020 Buckinghamshire Council has started to issue new style vehicle signs which can be:
- red, white or yellow - Aylesbury Vale Area
- purple or yellow - Chiltern Area
- blue or yellow - South Bucks Area
- green or yellow - Wycombe Area
The attached 
poster [1.44MB] shows the type of signs you can expect to see.
Hackney carriages and private hire vehicles are required by the council to operate in different ways.
Private hire vehicles
Taxis with yellow plates are private hire vehicles.
They are ordinary cars approved by Buckinghamshire Council that set their own fares.
They may have the name or logo of the company visible on the outside and must display the yellow license plate on the rear.
Private hire vehicles can't be flagged down or taken from a rank, they must be booked in advance. So you must not get into a cab which has a yellow licence plate unless you've pre-booked it.
Hackney Carriages
If you want to flag down a taxi or take one from a rank, you must use a hackney carriage.
Hackney carriages can be an ordinary car or a London style cab approved by Buckinghamshire Council.
They must have the word 'TAXI' illuminated on the roof, have a licence plate on the rear, use a tested and sealed meter and charge fares are set by Buckinghamshire Council.
They may be used for pre-booked journeys or can be flagged down or taken from a rank.
The most important difference you need to remember is that you must not get into a cab which has a yellow licence plate, unless you have pre-booked it. Never get in a vehicle that does not have a licence plate or if the licence plate has expired.
You can help us
We regularly inspect taxi owners, operators and drivers but you can also help us to maintain high standards by giving us your views about the taxis you use.
Feedback (Aylesbury Vale Area)
Apply for a taxi licence
If you wish to apply for a taxi licence, please use the below links:
Apply for a taxi licence (Chiltern Area)
Apply for a taxi licence (South Bucks Area)
