Oldham hackney byelaws: questions and answers

1. You are standing on a rank with no passenger. How must the meter be set?

1. Running, with the fare at zero
2. Locked, with no fare recorded (correct answer)
3. Switched on, showing HIRED
4. Covered with a cloth

Answer: B. Locked, with no fare recorded. Byelaw 4 says that when standing or plying for hire, the device must be locked in the position where no fare is recorded. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), Appendix D, byelaw 4

2. When must you start the meter for a journey charged by distance and time?

1. Before the journey begins (correct answer)
2. As soon as you reach the main road
3. When the passenger first asks about the fare
4. When the journey is half finished

Answer: A. Before the journey begins. Byelaw 4 says you must start the meter before beginning the journey and keep it running until the hire ends. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), Appendix D, byelaw 4

3. Which word must appear on the face of the meter when it is running?

1. TAXI
2. FOR HIRE
3. BOOKED
4. HIRED (correct answer)

Answer: D. HIRED. Byelaws 3 and 4 say turning the key or flag brings the meter into action and makes the word HIRED appear. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), Appendix D, byelaw 3 and 4

4. It is dark during a hire. What must you do with the meter?

1. Switch off its light unless the passenger asks
2. Turn it away from the passenger
3. Keep the dial properly lit (correct answer)
4. Stop the meter until daylight

Answer: C. Keep the dial properly lit. Byelaw 4 says the dial must be kept properly lit between half an hour after sunset and half an hour before sunrise, and at other times if the hirer asks. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), Appendix D, byelaw 4

5. Who may adjust a taximeter in an Oldham hackney carriage?

1. The driver, if it shows the wrong fare
2. Any garage with a test licence
3. The proprietor, if they keep the seals
4. Only an Authorised Officer or a contractor approved by the Council (correct answer)

Answer: D. Only an Authorised Officer or a contractor approved by the Council. Appendix B condition 11.1 says nobody else may tamper with a taximeter. Byelaw 5 also bans drivers and proprietors from tampering. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), Appendix B, condition 11.1; Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), Appendix D, byelaw 5

6. A fare starts and the meter comes on. What must happen to the For Hire sign?

1. It stays lit until the passenger pays
2. It goes off (correct answer)
3. It flashes during the journey
4. It changes to red

Answer: B. It goes off. Appendix B condition 10.4 says the sign must be switched off when the fare starts and the meter comes into operation. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), Appendix B, condition 10.4

7. You drive outside Oldham borough with no passenger. What about the For Hire sign?

1. It must not be lit (correct answer)
2. It may be lit in Greater Manchester
3. It must stay lit until you return
4. It may be lit if you are looking for fares

Answer: A. It must not be lit. Appendix B condition 10.5 says the sign must not be lit when the vehicle is outside its licensing district. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), Appendix B, condition 10.5

8. You are plying for hire in a street and are not hired. What must you do?

1. Keep driving around the town centre
2. Go with reasonable speed to a stand appointed by the Council (correct answer)
3. Park outside the busiest venue
4. Wait where you dropped your last passenger

Answer: B. Go with reasonable speed to a stand appointed by the Council. Byelaw 6 tells you to drive to a Council stand at a reasonable pace. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), Appendix D, byelaw 6

9. You arrive at a stand and all the places are full. What must you do?

1. Wait close by in the road
2. Sound the horn to move the line along
3. Park across the front of the stand
4. Go to another stand (correct answer)

Answer: D. Go to another stand. Byelaw 6 says that if a stand already has the full number of carriages, you must go to another stand. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), Appendix D, byelaw 6

10. There is space on a stand. Where do you put your vehicle?

1. Anywhere with a clear view
2. At the front, if you have a booking
3. Behind the last carriage, facing the same way (correct answer)
4. At the back, facing the other way

Answer: C. Behind the last carriage, facing the same way. Byelaw 6 says to stop immediately behind the carriages on the stand, facing the same way, and move up when the one in front moves. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), Appendix D, byelaw 6

11. A hackney carriage licensed by another council stops on a rank in Oldham. What does the policy say?

1. It may stay for 20 minutes
2. Only Oldham hackney carriages can stand on the rank (correct answer)
3. It may stay if there is space on the rank
4. It may stay after midnight

Answer: B. Only Oldham hackney carriages can stand on the rank. The policy limits Oldham ranks to hackney carriages that hold an Oldham licence. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), section 10, Hackney Carriage Stands

12. Your friend offers to stand on the pavement and call people over to your taxi. What does the byelaw say?

1. It is allowed in the daytime
2. It is allowed if your friend holds a badge
3. It is allowed if no one complains
4. You must not use another person to do this (correct answer)

Answer: D. You must not use another person to do this. Byelaw 7 says you must not use another person to importune anyone to hire the carriage when standing or plying for hire. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), Appendix D, byelaw 7

13. The plate says 5 passengers. A group of 6 asks for one taxi. What does the byelaw say?

1. Do not carry more than the number on the plate (correct answer)
2. Carry them if the journey is short
3. Carry them if one is a child
4. Carry them if they all pay

Answer: A. Do not carry more than the number on the plate. Byelaw 10 says you must not carry more people than the number on the plate outside the carriage. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), Appendix D, byelaw 10

14. Someone hiring your taxi has heavy bags. What does byelaw 12 require?

1. Carry bags only for an extra charge
2. Carry a reasonable amount and give reasonable help loading and unloading (correct answer)
3. Carry only bags that fit on the back seat
4. Open the boot, then let them do the lifting

Answer: B. Carry a reasonable amount and give reasonable help loading and unloading. Byelaw 12 says to carry a reasonable amount of luggage and give reasonable help, including to or from the entrance of a building or station. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), Appendix D, byelaw 12

15. A child under 16 with no adult gets into your hackney carriage. Where can they sit?

1. In the front, with a seat belt
2. Anywhere they choose
3. Not in the front of the vehicle (correct answer)
4. Only in the seat next to the door

Answer: C. Not in the front of the vehicle. Appendix B condition 4.1 says a child under 16 with no adult must not be carried in the front. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), Appendix B, condition 4.1

16. Who sets the fares for Oldham hackney carriages?

1. The Council (correct answer)
2. The driver
3. The operator
4. Greater Manchester Police

Answer: A. The Council. The policy says the Council sets the Hackney Carriage Table of Fares. It cannot set private hire fares; those are for the operator. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), section 8, Fares

17. A hirer asks for a lower price than the Council's table for a journey within the borough. What does the policy say?

1. The table is a fixed price and cannot change
2. The table is a minimum fare
3. A lower price can only be agreed by the Council
4. The table is a maximum, and the hirer can negotiate it down (correct answer)

Answer: D. The table is a maximum, and the hirer can negotiate it down. The table sets the top price. For a trip inside the borough, the hirer may talk it down. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), section 8, Fares

18. Your taximeter shows £9.40 at the end of a hire with no authorised extras. How much may you charge?

1. £10, rounded up
2. £9.40 or less (correct answer)
3. £11, if it is late at night
4. £9.40 plus a tip you set

Answer: B. £9.40 or less. Byelaw 14 says you cannot take more than the meter shows, except for extra charges authorised by the Council that cannot be recorded on it. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), Appendix D, byelaw 14

19. Where must the statement of fares be displayed?

1. Inside the carriage (correct answer)
2. On the rear window, outside
3. At the rank only
4. In the driver's door pocket

Answer: A. Inside the carriage. Byelaw 15 says the statement of fares must be shown inside the carriage in clear letters and figures. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), Appendix D, byelaw 15

20. A passenger leaves a phone in your taxi and no one claims it. Where must you take it, and by when?

1. To the Council, within 7 days
2. To the operator, within 24 hours
3. To a police station in the borough, within 48 hours (correct answer)
4. To a police station in the borough, within 72 hours

Answer: C. To a police station in the borough, within 48 hours. Byelaw 18 says to take it to a police station in the borough as soon as possible, within 48 hours at most, and get a receipt. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), Appendix D, byelaw 18

21. What must you get from the officer when you leave lost property at the police station?

1. A receipt (correct answer)
2. The owner's address
3. A fixed fee
4. A reference from the Council

Answer: A. A receipt. Byelaw 18 says you leave it with the officer in charge when they give you a receipt for it. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), Appendix D, byelaw 18

22. What is the most you can claim from the owner when lost property is returned?

1. £1
2. £5 (correct answer)
3. £10
4. 10% of its value

Answer: B. £5. Byelaw 18 sets the amount at 5p in the pound of its estimated value, or the fare to the Council office if greater, but not more than £5. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), Appendix D, byelaw 18

23. You are hired to attend at 7am. What does byelaw 9 require?

1. Attend on time, unless a good reason stops you (correct answer)
2. Attend within 30 minutes
3. Attend only if you confirm the night before
4. Send another driver if you are busy

Answer: A. Attend on time, unless a good reason stops you. Byelaw 9 says you must be at the agreed place on time, unless a genuine reason delays or stops you. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), Appendix D, byelaw 9

24. How many hackney carriages does Oldham Council limit itself to licensing?

1. 60
2. 85 (correct answer)
3. 120
4. No limit

Answer: B. 85. The policy says the Council is satisfied there is no significant unmet demand and limits the number to 85. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), section 2, Limitations of Numbers

25. By what date must all Oldham hackney carriages be purpose-built and wheelchair accessible?

1. 31 December 2026
2. 31 December 2027
3. 31 December 2028
4. 31 December 2029 (correct answer)

Answer: D. 31 December 2029. The policy sets 31 December 2029. Until then, a mixed fleet of saloons and wheelchair accessible vehicles is allowed. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), section 2, Vehicle specification

26. An Oldham hackney carriage that is not purpose-built must have a roof sign. What colours does it show?

1. White to the front, red to the rear (correct answer)
2. Yellow to the front, red to the rear
3. Red to the front, white to the rear
4. White to the front and the rear

Answer: A. White to the front, red to the rear. The policy says the roof sign on non-purpose-built hackney carriages shows white to the front and red to the rear. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), section 2, Signage and Advertising

27. What must the door signs on an Oldham hackney carriage include?

1. The driver's full name
2. The driver's badge number
3. The word TAXI (correct answer)
4. The word HIRED

Answer: C. The word TAXI. The policy says the mandatory door signs on the front driver and passenger door panels must include the word TAXI. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), section 2, Signage and Advertising

28. You use a hackney carriage for a pre-booked job for an operator licensed by another council. What must be recorded?

1. Nothing, as the operator keeps a record
2. Only the fare charged
3. Only the passenger's name
4. Date, time, pick-up, destination and the operator's name and address (correct answer)

Answer: D. Date, time, pick-up, destination and the operator's name and address. Appendix B condition 17.2 lists date, time of first pick-up, pick-up point, destination, and the name and address of the operator. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), Appendix B, condition 17.2

29. The journey record book for a hackney carriage is full. Where must it go?

1. To the Council's Licensing Department (correct answer)
2. To the nearest police station
3. To the operator's office
4. To the shredder after 28 days

Answer: A. To the Council's Licensing Department. Appendix B condition 17.5 says each full book must be delivered to the Council's Licensing Department. Oldham Licensing Policy (October 2025), Appendix B, condition 17.5