Selling car on as a taxi

MrsE_2

goldspanners wrote: »

this is an illegal practice in some,probably most local councils,it does go on but you need to be" in the know" to do it. so i would check it out fully before attmpting it.
advertise the vehicle as it is,if a taxi driver wants it they will find it.
i dont think its too old to be a taxi. but some local councils have an age limit on new vehciles entering the taxi system. some councils stipulate no older than 3 years old. and some also say it must be white,or black. so there is a few more things to consider before advertising it as a taxi.

I'm NOT talking about cars trading ilegally as cabs.

BUT once a car has been licenced as a cab then they keep the plate if they are still being cabbed, of course the other bits have to be done. But once plated it can (or used to be able to) be a cab beyond which another car could first be presented as a cab. Its a way of getting around the age limit to a certain degree, or it used to be.

But as I've said the ones I know all drive new cars, so maybe it doesn't apply anymore, but it certainly isn't illegal Goldspanners.

MrsE_2

DON79 wrote: »

Sorry that you lost your cat MrsE. It's happened to me with my cat Buffy, she died rather unexpectedly and suddenly and its not easy to get over. But we have the pics too and the lovely memories.

Ted also went suddenly, the vet said it was the equivalent of a hear attack in a person.

I don't think your dad should bother trying to get it licenced as a cab (not even sure he could) if a cab driver buys it, he will do that easily enough.

You could ring your local council & ask the upper age limit on cars for cabbing, that would tell you if anyone would be interested in it as a cab. All councils are different, some a very strict & have low age limits, some allow much older cars.

DON79

Bufy was quite the same, heart failure the vet said. She was lovely, just a bit on the chubby side! but she was like that when she first came to us as we adopted her.

I will at least get him to ring the council and ask what restrictions they have on the age of cabs. If they have tight regulations, then he might as well sell it on as normal.

Thanks again.

hewhoisnotintheknow

spending money on a plate for this car is total madness

if a cabby wants it he will of factored in the cost of the plate allready

also by adding a taxi plate to it you WILL put off 99% of other buyers, i woulndnt touch a car with taxi plates on it

goldspanners

MrsE wrote: »

I'm NOT talking about cars trading ilegally as cabs.

BUT once a car has been licenced as a cab then they keep the plate if they are still being cabbed, of course the other bits have to be done. But once plated it can (or used to be able to) be a cab beyond which another car could first be presented as a cab. Its a way of getting around the age limit to a certain degree, or it used to be.

But as I've said the ones I know all drive new cars, so maybe it doesn't apply anymore, but it certainly isn't illegal Goldspanners.

i know what you meant.
selling a plate to another owner is illegal in some areas of the country. if you dont want the plate any more you must hand it back to the local council you got it from.
some areas have waitiing lists for plates,so its an unfair practice selling the plate on.

i know this because my dad waited 10 years for his own plate.

Wig

goldspanners wrote: »

i know what you meant.
selling a plate to another owner is illegal in some areas of the country. if you dont want the plate any more you must hand it back to the local council you got it from.
some areas have waitiing lists for plates,so its an unfair practice selling the plate on.

i know this because my dad waited 10 years for his own plate.

Sorry, I don't agree, I have never heard it to be illegal to sell a licenced business, which is what you are doing when you sell a vehicle licensed to ply for hire.

Your dad IMHO was just in an area where no new plates were being issued and no-one wanted to sell. It may be that the council lied to the owners that they could not transfer a plate, AFAIK that is what it would have been - a lie.

Wig

To Op

If you advertise it and someone wants it for whatever purpose they will find you. If you have advertised it and got nowhere and you want to do this as a possible way to sell it, be prepared that if you approach them they will not pay top dollar for it.

To 'plate' it before selling it you could only do this -for the sake of convienience- in your own local authority or in a nighbouring authority. To do that you would first need to know the rules the authority applies.

For a public hire plate
They may not be issuing new plates
If they are issuing new plates it may be
less than 1 year old vehicles only
less than 3 yr old vehicles
less than 6 year old
or
less than 10 year old vehicles

or any other condition you care to mention, including only plating certain makes and models of vehicles, in certain painted colours.

For 'private hire' there will also be conditions, but usually less restrictive than public hire, and plates are always available.

To plate the car you will need to meet the conditions, and then have it tested like an MOT test, but with more to it, like cleanliness, making sure it is painted the right colours of the right make and model, spare wheel, room for luggage, converted for wheelchairs (if applicaple), fire extinguisher, and medical kit. and any other conditions the council has put in place.

You will also need insurance to cover the car for hire and reward. Insurance cover is very expensive, but once plated is passed you could arrange the insurance and then cancel it within 14 days and get a full refund - except you may have to deduct an admin fee. Then you would have a fully plated vehicle for sale as a taxi or private hire. The problem now would be how to insure it, because you could not legally insure it for social dom pleasure like a normal car, because now it is no longer a normal car, but a licenced taxi. So you would have to SORN it and store it off road. until your buyer collects it.

If I were you I would first find out if anyone is interested in buying the car as a plated taxi before going through all that hassle. .
Most taxi buyers are quite happy to prepare the vehicle themselves for plating, as they know all the rules and know where to go to get things done, as long as it has a recent MOT they will be happy.

MrsE_2

goldspanners wrote: »

i know what you meant.
selling a plate to another owner is illegal in some areas of the country. if you dont want the plate any more you must hand it back to the local council you got it from.
some areas have waitiing lists for plates,so its an unfair practice selling the plate on.

i know this because my dad waited 10 years for his own plate.

I think you are talking about a hackney plate?

I am talking about a licenced private hire plate.

My DH is a licenced private hire driver & his car is also licenced separately for private hire.

MrsE_2

Wig wrote: »

If I were you I would first find out if anyone is interested in buying the car as a plated taxi before going through all that hassle. .
Most taxi buyers are quite happy to prepare the vehicle themselves for plating, as they know all the rules and know where to go to get things done, as long as it has a recent MOT they will be happy.

Agree totally with his very comprehensive explanation:T

Its not hard for a driver to get the right vehicle licenced.

My only reservation on it becoming a cab is its age, thats why I'm wondering about a club/charity or something like that.

goldspanners

Wig wrote: »

Sorry, I don't agree, I have never heard it to be illegal to sell a licenced business, which is what you are doing when you sell a vehicle licensed to ply for hire.

Your dad IMHO was just in an area where no new plates were being issued and no-one wanted to sell. It may be that the council lied to the owners that they could not transfer a plate, AFAIK that is what it would have been - a lie.

you dont own the plate so it isnt yours to sell. you can sell the car. its not to say this practise doesnt happen.