Metropolitan Public Carriage Act 1869

Licensing Hackney and Stage Carriages

6 Grant of hackney carriage licences.

One of Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State may from time to time license to ply for hire within the limits of this Act hackney and stage carriages, to be distinguished in such manner as he may by order

Any licence in respect of a hackney or stage carriage under this section may be granted at such price, on such conditions, be in such form, be subject to revision or suspension in such events, and generally be dealt with in such manner as the said Secretary of State may by order prescribe, subject as follows :—

(1) That a hackney or stage carriage licence shall, if not revoked or suspended, be in force for one year, and there shall be paid in respect thereof to the Receiver of the Metropolitan Police, to be carried to the account of the Metropolitan Police Fund, such uniform sum, not exceeding two pounds two shillings, as the said Secretary of State may prescribe :

(2) That in any such order provision shall be made for the transfer of a hackney or stage carriage licence to the widow or to any child of full age of any person to whom a hackney or stage carriage licence has been granted who may die during the continuance of such licence leaving a widow or child of full age, and also for the transfer of a hackney or stage carriage licence to the husband of any woman to whom such licence has been granted and who marries during the continuance thereof.

7 Penalty on use of unlicensed carriage.

If any unlicensed hackney or stage carriage plies for hire, the owner of such carriage shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding five pounds for every day during which such unlicensed carriage plies. And if any unlicensed hackney carriage is found on any stand within the limits of this Act, the owner of such carriage shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding five pounds for each time it is so found. The driver also shall in every such case be liable to a like penalty unless he proves that he was ignorant of the fact of the carriage being an unlicensed

Any hackney or stage carriage plying for hire, and any hackney carriage found on any stand without having such distinguishing mark, or- being otherwise distinguished in such manner as may for the time being be prescribed by the said Secretary of State, shall be deemed to be an unlicensed carriage.