In order to apply to drive a licensed private hire or hackney carriage vehicle there are certain conditions that must be met. Firstly all applicants must be at least 21 years of age. Also the applicant must have held a full European Union drivers licence for at least 18 months.
The safety of the travelling public is our main concern and therefor the council must be happy that the applicant is “fit and proper”. This term refers to both the applicant being in a position of trust as well as medical fitness. This is why applicants will need to complete certain requirements before a licence can be granted.
Private Hire drivers will require:
Application form
Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check
Driving Standards Agency taxi test
Group 2 Medical test (at own registered NHS doctors surgery)
Driving Vehicle Licensing Agency licence check
Hackney Carriage Drivers will require:
Application form
Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check
Enhanced wheelchair Driving Standards Agency taxi test
Group 2 Medical test (at own registered NHS doctors surgery)
Driving Vehicle Licensing Agency licence check
Comprehensive Knowledge test (Geographical awareness)
Renewal drivers do not need re-take the DSA driving tests and renewal hackney carriage applicants will not need to repeat the knowledge test, however all other checks are to be carried out upon renewal of the licence.
Fees:
New 1 Year Driving Licence £79.00
New 3 Year Driving licence £156.00
Renewal 1 Year Driving Licence £79.00
Renewal 3 Year Driving Licence £135.00
Enhanced Criminal record Bureau check £44.00
Administration charges for recording £16.00
changes of detail.
Date Updated: 11/07/11
Downloads:
File name | Summary | File size / Download time | File Format |
Adobe Acrobat Reader is available FREE of charge. You can download it directly from Adobe's website by clicking the link to the right. Once on Adobe's website, follow the instructions on screen to install the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader. |  |
Application for Taxi Driver Licence | Application to apply for the position of a Hackney Carriage or Private Hire Driver. | 135KB
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Medical Certificate for Hackney Carriage/Private Hire Applicants | This Medical Certificate is for your GP to complete to further your application for Hackney Carriage/Private Hire Drivers Licence. | 140KB
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Taxi and Private Hire Licensing Policy January 2010 | This policy contains all the information required to obtain all types of licences required for Hackney Carriage and Private Hire applicants. | 688KB
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Fee List | Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing fee's | 17KB
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Useful contacts | This document contains a list of contacts which will be useful during the application process. | 17KB
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