Oldham hackney byelaws: questions and answers
29 practice questions for the Oldham Council taxi and private hire knowledge test, with answers and explanations at the end.
Free from taxiknowledgetest.co.uk. Not an official council or TfL document: check the current official guidance.
Questions
Taximeters
You are standing on a rank with no passenger. How must the meter be set?
When must you start the meter for a journey charged by distance and time?
Which word must appear on the face of the meter when it is running?
It is dark during a hire. What must you do with the meter?
Who may adjust a taximeter in an Oldham hackney carriage?
A fare starts and the meter comes on. What must happen to the For Hire sign?
You drive outside Oldham borough with no passenger. What about the For Hire sign?
Stands, conduct and luggage
You are plying for hire in a street and are not hired. What must you do?
You arrive at a stand and all the places are full. What must you do?
There is space on a stand. Where do you put your vehicle?
A hackney carriage licensed by another council stops on a rank in Oldham. What does the policy say?
Your friend offers to stand on the pavement and call people over to your taxi. What does the byelaw say?
The plate says 5 passengers. A group of 6 asks for one taxi. What does the byelaw say?
Someone hiring your taxi has heavy bags. What does byelaw 12 require?
A child under 16 with no adult gets into your hackney carriage. Where can they sit?
Fares and lost property
Who sets the fares for Oldham hackney carriages?
A hirer asks for a lower price than the Council's table for a journey within the borough. What does the policy say?
Your taximeter shows £9.40 at the end of a hire with no authorised extras. How much may you charge?
Where must the statement of fares be displayed?
A passenger leaves a phone in your taxi and no one claims it. Where must you take it, and by when?
What must you get from the officer when you leave lost property at the police station?
What is the most you can claim from the owner when lost property is returned?
You are hired to attend at 7am. What does byelaw 9 require?
Hackney vehicle rules and journey records
How many hackney carriages does Oldham Council limit itself to licensing?
By what date must all Oldham hackney carriages be purpose-built and wheelchair accessible?
An Oldham hackney carriage that is not purpose-built must have a roof sign. What colours does it show?
What must the door signs on an Oldham hackney carriage include?
You use a hackney carriage for a pre-booked job for an operator licensed by another council. What must be recorded?
The journey record book for a hackney carriage is full. Where must it go?
Answers
- 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.
- 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.
- D. HIRED. Byelaws 3 and 4 say turning the key or flag brings the meter into action and makes the word HIRED appear.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- B. Only Oldham hackney carriages can stand on the rank. The policy limits Oldham ranks to hackney carriages that hold an Oldham licence.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- A. Inside the carriage. Byelaw 15 says the statement of fares must be shown inside the carriage in clear letters and figures.
- 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.
- A. A receipt. Byelaw 18 says you leave it with the officer in charge when they give you a receipt for it.
- 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.
- 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.
- B. 85. The policy says the Council is satisfied there is no significant unmet demand and limits the number to 85.
- D. 31 December 2029. The policy sets 31 December 2029. Until then, a mixed fleet of saloons and wheelchair accessible vehicles is allowed.
- 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.
- C. The word TAXI. The policy says the mandatory door signs on the front driver and passenger door panels must include the word TAXI.
- 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.
- 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.
Sources
- Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy (includes vehicle and driver conditions and byelaws), Oldham Council, Revised policy took effect 21 October 2025; Word file last modified 31 July 2026. Checked 1 November 2026. https://www.oldham.gov.uk/downloads/file/8473/hackney_carriage_and_private_hire_licensing_policy