A public service vehicle shall not be used on a road for carrying passengers for hire or reward except under a PSV operator’s licence granted in accordance with the following provisions of this Part of this Act.

The authority having power to grant a PSV operator’s licence is the traffic F2commissioner for any traffic area in which, if the licence is granted, there will be one or more operating centres of vehicles used under the licence; and, subject to the provisions of this Part of this Act, a PSV operator’s licence authorises the holder to use anywhere in Great Britain vehicles which have their operating centre in the area of the traffic F2commissioner by whom the licence was granted.

A person may hold two or more PSV operators’ licences each granted by the traffic F2commissioner for F3a different area, but shall not at the same time hold more than one such licence granted by the F2commissioner for the same area.

An application for a PSV operator’s licence shall be made in such a form as the traffic F4commissioner may require, and an applicant shall give the F4commissioner such information as F5he may reasonably require for disposing of the application.

Subject to section 68(3) of this Act, if a vehicle is used in contravention of subsection (1) above, the operator of the vehicle shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding F6level 4 on the standard scale.