Milton Keynes City Council has age limits for its licensed vehicles. In November 2023 the Department for Transport (DfT) recommended that: 

Licensing authorities should not impose age limits for the licensing of vehicles instead they should consider more targeted requirements to meet their policy objectives on emissions, safety rating and increasing wheelchair accessible provision where this is low. 

As a result of this DfT guidance, (which can be accessed at: Taxi and private hire vehicle licensing best practice guidance for licensing authorities in England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)), council officers propose the following in order to promote the Council’s carbon neutral and wheelchair accessible objectives:

1. The maximum age restriction of 10 years be removed for electric/hydrogen (zero emission from the tailpipe) licensed vehicles (no age restriction);
2. The maximum age of 6 years to first licence a petrol/diesel/hybrid/electric/hydrogen vehicle be removed;
3. The maximum age to licence a petrol/diesel/hybrid vehicle be increased from 10 to 12 years.  A limit to be retained as an incentive to licence electric/hydrogen vehicles (zero emission from the tailpipe) as they will have no age restriction. 

Next steps: 

We would like to know your views on these proposals.  If you would like the current age restrictions to remain unchanged then please let us know.  Please email your responses to taxienforcement@milton-keynes.gov.uk by no later than Friday, 26 July 2024. 

You can also respond by post to:  Taxi Licensing, Milton Keynes City Council, Civic, 1 Saxon Gate East, Milton Keynes, MK9 3EJ.  Final proposals will be presented to the Regulatory Committee in September 2024 and then Cabinet in December 2024.