TOURISTS could soon hire a motor tricycle for a sightseeing tour of Exmoor.

An application has been submitted to Somerset West and Taunton Council for a private hire licence for a three-seater three wheeler.

The vehicle, which could allow a driver to take two passengers at a time, would show customers around small manufacturers of handcrafted products and check out beauty spots and areas of historic importance.

The purpose built vehicle, a 2018 Rewaco model, has similar controls to that of a car, but the steering is by handlebars.

It is classified as a motor car and can be driven by anyone with a full UK driving licence, providing they passed their driving test prior to January 19, 2013, following which the DSA issued new driving rules for mopeds, motorcycles and tricycles.

As the rules stand at present, a motor tricycle does not conform to all of the council’s conditions for licensing private hire vehicles.

Consequently, members of the authority's licensing committee are being asked to approve a proposed amendment to the current taxi policies at their meeting on Monday, March 21.

An officer's report to the meeting says: "The existing approved standard conditions for a private hire vehicle were intended for the use of standard road vehicles (i.e. cars) and the vehicle in question is so

different that special safety conditions would have to be considered.

"Unless amendments are made to the policy for the proposed vehicle—which would include new conditions to be directly applied to this sort of vehicle—a motor tricycle would be precluded from licensing approval.

"Consideration should be given to imposing appropriate safety conditions which are proportionate to accommodating motor tricycles within a licensed, but controlled framework."