How do I check whether a private hire taxi firm is genuine?

[factor-fiction]

This weekend 3 of us went down to Surrey. Last night was a nice evening and we walked 1.3 miles from our hotel to the town centre and had a meal in a restaurant which is part of a well known chain.
As it started spitting with rain we decided after the meal to get a taxi back. We asked the restaurant manager for the number of a taxi firm and he said he'd get one for us.
A few minutes later a car pulled up, the driver confirmed our name and table number and asked us where we were going. However he seemed unsure of the location of our hotel (a big one) even though it was on the same road and only 1.3 miles away. I asked for a price but he indicated he didn't know as he didn't know where it was and would we direct him. His English was so poor I made the mistake of not pressing again on the price
When we got there he asked for £12. I said I thought £5 was more than enough. He then said £10. I offered £6 and he accepted.
I then asked him several times for the name of his firm. He didn't seem to understand but eventualy mentioned a name which sounded something like KittyCars. I asked him if he had a meter as I couldn't see one. He didn't seem to understand. I looked around the inside and outside of his car and couldn't see any badges.
I made a note of his car reg number.
Does anyone know whether there is a way I could check whether this is a licenced firm as I find it very hard to believe this was a legl enterprise?

[wolf63]

As a female I would also be concerned about a lone woman getting in a car that is not a legal private hire or taxi.

If this guy is a friend of the restaurant owner he could be perfectly okay or he could have a dubious background.

Good luck with your investigations - it would be easy for you to shrug this off as 'a guy working for a bit of cash' but the implications could be serious if he has a crash or ........ if he is a weirdo!