All vehicles that an operator wishes to license have to be licensed as private hire vehicles. These are vehicles that can only be pre-booked and cannot be hailed from the street or a taxi rank. In order to gain a private hire vehicle license, vehicles must be tested and inspected before a license can be issued to ensure that they are mechanically fit, safe and comfortable. These licenses have to be renewed annually and are only issued when the local authority is satisfied that the vehicle is safe and the appropriate insurances are in place.

A vehicle that is licensed for private hire must display a plate with the local authority license details and the number of passengers that it is legally able to carry. As Hewkin Executive operates executive vehicles and stretched limousines the local authority has taken the option available to them under the Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1976 to grant special dispensation to allow the plate to be carried in the boot of each vehicle.

In the case of stretched limousines, regardless of their size, the law restricts the number of passengers to a maximum of eight. Under private hire licensing regulations, there are no exceptions to this rule. In order to transport more than eight passengers in a stretched limousine the vehicle must hold a Public Service Vehicle License and a Certificate of Industry Fitness both of which are issue by The Vehicle Standards Operating Agency (VOSA)