Vehicles-for-Hire & Transport · 5 min read · Last updated
Hamilton keeps two queues for taxi plates, and this is the second one. The accessible priority list is the list of applications for an accessible taxicab owner licence, maintained by the Director of Licensing. Like the general list, it is a queue placement rather than a licence to operate, but the City tracks it separately and charges its own fee for it.
The City of Hamilton lists this under its “Mobile” category: “Accessible Priority List means the list of applications for an accessible taxicab owner licence maintained by the Director of Licensing.”
Who needs this licence?
The accessible priority list means the list of applications for an accessible taxicab owner licence, maintained by the Director of Licensing. It is the queue for accessible plates specifically.
Like the general priority list, this is a position rather than a permission. It does not allow you to operate a taxicab, does not give you a plate and is not a driver licence. What it records is that your application for an accessible taxicab owner licence is in line.
The two lists are worth comparing directly. The general taxi cab priority list is printed with a closure notice stating that no new application can be accepted; the accessible list page does not carry that notice. Because the guide is silent on the point rather than explicit, confirm the current status of the accessible list with Licensing before planning around it.
If a plate does become available to you through this list, the taxi cab owner licence requirements are what you will then have to satisfy, including Business Skills college taxi training and proof of at least one year of involvement in the taxi cab industry.
What documents do you need?
The guide sets out no application checklist for the accessible priority list. It records what the list is, who maintains it, and what it costs to keep a place on it.
What is clear is that the list is made up of applications for an accessible taxicab owner licence, and that it is kept by the Director of Licensing rather than by a brokerage or an association.
The upkeep is financial: the priority list fee holds your place, and a late administrative priority list fee applies if that payment is late. Keeping your contact details current with Licensing matters just as much, since a queue that moves slowly is only useful if you can be reached when it does.
The standing condition across the taxi system applies here too. Outstanding fees for service and court fines must be paid before a plate transfer, a licence renewal or a new or renewed lease, and the Issuer of Licences may refuse to issue a licence where they have not been.
Zoning and premises requirements
Zoning does not apply. A place on the accessible priority list involves no premises, no vehicle and no address for the City to assess.
Zoning applies to where a business physically operates, which in the taxi system means the brokerage. Its dispatch premises must satisfy the zoning by-law through the taxi cab broker licence, and that obligation belongs to the brokerage alone.
The accessible taxicab owner licence you are queuing for will not raise a zoning question either, because it covers a vehicle rather than a place.
Inspections and approvals
Nothing about a place on the accessible list is inspected. There is no vehicle in service and no premises to attend.
The inspections come later, and for accessible vehicles they are stricter. A taxi cab owner licence requires a Safety Standards Certificate less than 36 days old when submitted, and a commercial safety is required for all accessible vehicles rather than a regular vehicle safety.
An inspection of the vehicle by a Licensing Officer is also required at application and before each renewal of the owner licence. If you are waiting on this list, factor the commercial safety requirement into your plans for the vehicle you intend to put into service.
How much does it cost?
The accessible priority list carries a priority list fee with HST applied. It is set separately from the general priority list fee and is the lower of the two.
There is no processing fee, no licence fee and no inspection fee, because nothing is being licensed or inspected at this stage.
A late administrative priority list fee applies where the renewal payment is late, charged as a late fee plus HST. That the fee exists tells you the position is maintained by periodic renewal rather than being held indefinitely once granted.
Both amounts are set by the City in its fee schedule and confirmed when you pay, so ask for the current figures rather than relying on what you paid in an earlier year.
How to apply
Start by confirming the status of the list with Licensing. The general taxi cab priority list is expressly closed to new applications; the accessible list page carries no such notice, so the current position is a question to put directly to the City.
Ask at the same time what the accessible list requires of an applicant and when its renewal falls, since the accessible page does not print the September 30 renewal date that appears for the general list.
Plan the vehicle side early if you intend to pursue an accessible plate. Accessible vehicles need a commercial safety rather than a regular vehicle safety, which affects both cost and which vehicles are suitable.
Build the owner licence qualifications while you wait: Business Skills college taxi training and at least one year of involvement in the taxi cab industry are required when the owner licence itself is applied for.
Renewals and staying compliant
A place on the accessible priority list is maintained by paying the priority list fee, and a late administrative priority list fee applies if that payment is late.
The accessible list page does not print a renewal date or a removal rule, unlike the general priority list, which carries a September 30 renewal date and removal after December 31 following a hearing before the Licence Committee. Do not assume the same dates apply; ask Licensing to confirm yours in writing.
Whatever the date, treat it as fixed. A queue place is only valuable while it is held, and lists of this kind are administered strictly.
Outstanding fees for service and court fines should be cleared before any renewal, since unpaid amounts can block licensing steps elsewhere in the taxi system.
Quick quiz: test what you learned
Three questions, all answered in this guide. Click an answer to check it.
1. What is the accessible priority list?
The definition is specific: it is the list of applications for an accessible taxicab owner licence kept by the Director of Licensing.
2. How does the accessible list differ from the general taxi cab priority list in the guide?
The general priority list is expressly closed, and the accessible list page does not repeat that closure notice, so its current status is worth confirming with Licensing.
3. What safety certification will an accessible vehicle need once an owner licence is obtained?
The taxi cab owner requirements specify that a commercial safety is required for all accessible vehicles, rather than a regular vehicle safety.
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This guide is general information, not legal or professional advice. Licensing requirements, by-laws and fees change and vary by municipality — always confirm the current rules with the City before you apply.