Legal Requirements for Driver-Guides
In England and Wales anyone offering a driver-guiding service must be licensed and insured under the Private Hire Vehicles regulations, which means that they must be in possession of the following:
- PHV Vehicle licence
- PHV Drivers licence
- PHV Operator LIcence
- Private Hire or Hire & Reward insurance
If the driver-guide does not hold a PHV operator's licence he or she may not accept bookings directly from clients, only from a licensed operator.
Vehicle Insurance
Whenever a vehicle is offered for hire with a driver for payment additional insurance cover is required by law. This is called Hire & Reward or Private Hire insurance. All members of the Driver-Guides Association have provided proof that they have that cover.
There has been confusion over the wording of standard insurance policies ("social domestic and pleasure") because they often include cover for use "in connection with the policy-holders business". Some guides have interpreted that as covering them for driver-guiding, but it does not.
Public Liability Insurance
All DGA members carry substantial Public Liability insurance.
Private Hire Vehicle Licences.
A Private Hire Vehicle is a vehicle constructed or adapted to seat fewer than nine passengers which is made available with a driver for the purpose of carrying passengers, other than a licensed taxi or public service vehicle.
Please note that if a vehicle is designed to carry 9 or more passengers it comes under public service vehicle (PSV or PCV) regulations and guiding while driving is illegal.
London
Driver-guides operating from a London base are regulated by the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998.
The Driver-Guides Association is a licensed operator and many of our London members operate from centres under that licence..
Licence number - 2114
Expires - 6 March 2028
Information about that licence, and others, can be found on the Transport for London web site.
All London PHV licences can also be checked on the TfL web site
England and Wales
The rest of England and Wales comes under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976. As with London, driver-guides need a PHV operator's licence to accept bookings. They need also a PHV driving licence and PHV vehicle licence.
Remember, if the vehicle or the driver does not carry the proper licence the vehicle is not insured and they are breaking the law.
Scotland
The DGA has been advised that PHV licences are not required if no more that one driver-guiding assignment per day is undertaken.
Northern Ireland
The DGA has been advised that driver-guides in Northern Ireland do not require PHV licences.