Key facts
- Issued by
- The city, village or town (Wis. Stat. 349.24)[1]
- Covers
- Chauffeurs and operators of taxicabs used for hire, and each taxicab[1]
- Between municipalities
- One local licence is enough to carry passengers from one municipality to another[1]
- Milwaukee licence
- Public Passenger Vehicle Driver License[2]
- Milwaukee eligibility
- 18 or older, with a valid Wisconsin driver's licence[2]
- Milwaukee fee and term
- $75; expires two years after issue[2]
Who issues a chauffeur licence in Wisconsin?
The municipality. Wisconsin Statutes section 349.24 says the council of any city and every village or town board may regulate and license chauffeurs and operators of taxicabs used for hire, license the taxicab business by licensing each taxicab, and revoke a licence when in its judgment public safety requires it.[1]
Can you drive a taxi without the local licence?
Not where the municipality has used that power. The same section lets it prohibit anyone from operating a motor vehicle for taxicab purposes on its highways unless the person is licensed as a chauffeur and operator and each taxicab is licensed. A person licensed this way must still meet the state's driver licensing rules in chapter 343.[1]
Do you need a licence in every town you drive to?
No. A person licensed by one city, village or town needs no second chauffeur's or taxicab licence elsewhere to carry passengers for hire from one municipality to another. The exception does not allow working a taxicab wholly inside a municipality where the driver is not licensed.[1]
What does Milwaukee require?
A Public Passenger Vehicle Driver License for anyone operating a public passenger vehicle in the city, a term that takes in taxicabs, limousines, shuttles, pedicabs and human service vehicles. Applicants must be 18 or older and hold a valid Wisconsin driver's licence, not an occupational one. Drivers for network transportation companies are exempt.[2]
What does the Milwaukee licence cost, and how long does it last?
The application fee is $75 and the licence expires two years from the date of issue. The application takes an individual information form, the supplemental driver application and a passport-size photograph; drivers of human service vehicles must also complete Passenger Assistance Techniques Training.[2]
Frequently asked questions
How old must a taxi driver be in Milwaukee?
18 or older, with a valid Wisconsin driver's licence.
Sources
Fees and rules change. Each source is the official page we read, with the date we read it; check it before you apply or pay.
