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Taxi driver licence

Taxi driver licence

Due to the changes to the application for the Grant of a Private Hire or Hackney Carriage Driver Licence, there will be a period of downtime where we integrate the new application and processes. As a result on this, no new driver application will be able to be submitted from 9 December until 31 December 2024. This will not impact renewal applications, or new applications currently in progress.

All applicants must ensure that they have read the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy and the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Handbook [PDF, 1MB] before submitting an application. 

Apply for a Taxi Driver Licence

Step 1:

Fill out the above driver licence application form and provide the documents asked for in the checklist, these documents are: 

  • a copy of a full UK DVLA driving licence (at least 3 years old)
  • a DVLA share code with the application
  • evidence of a passed advanced driving standards test (no older than a year)
  • evidence of a completed and passed approved safeguarding training course (no older than a year)
  • two forms of proof of address, for example, a bank or credit card statement, utility bill, pension statement or other financial statement (no older than 3 months) or a Council tax bill or P60 (these can be up to 12 months old)
  • an enhanced DBS certificate (no older than 1 month old)
  • evidence of a subscription to the DBS Update Service
  • evidence of right to work and remain in the United Kingdom, such as a UK or Irish Passport or Birth Certificate, or a check code 
  • a group 2 medical assessment completed by your registered medical practitioner (no older than 3 months) 

Download copies of the Medical form and Certificate.

If you lived outside of the UK for 3 months or longer at any point in the last 5 years (since the age of 18 years old), you will be need to submit an overseas record check authenticated by the embassy of each country you lived in. The document must be translated into English and submitted with the application.

We will contact you within 5 working days to inform you of the next steps required. Please only contact us if you have not heard back after this period.

The fee of £260 must be submitted with your application.

If you do not submit any of the documents, your application may be refused. The licence application fee will be refunded but this may take up to 7 working days.

Please also read the previous convictions policy, as your application will not be automatically refused, with a right of appeal to the Courts only.

Step 2:

Once your application has been reviewed, we will invite you to a 1-to-1 meeting with an officer via Microsoft Teams. This meeting is to verify your documents, confirm who you are and assess your level of English speaking ability. This meeting will decide if you are able to continue with your application. 

Step 3:

You will need to complete an approved competency/Knowledge Test course.

A maximum of 3 attempts of the tests may be taken before the application is refused. If the test course is failed more than 3 times you will need to submit a new application. This can be done after 3 months have passed since your previous application. 

Evidence of a classroom based safeguarding course, which includes disability awareness is required. Currently the two providers that offer approved training are: 

Blue Lamp Trust - please select the 'Virtual classroom course' the e-learning course is not accepted, plus the separate Safeguarding course

STC Safeguarding 

Advanced Driving Course - This can be completed with any of the below. If you have undertaken a course with another provider, please contact us to confirm if the course meets our requirements:

Step 4:

We will review your application and then contact you within 5 days to let you know which documents you need to bring into our office for us to make verified copies. 

Step 5:

Once your application is complete, we will grant the licence. We will email your licence and let you know when your badge is ready to collect from our offices. This can take up to 5 working days.

We advise you to apply for your renewal at least 1 month prior to the expiry of your licence.

Step 1:

Fill out the above driver licence application form and provide the documents asked for in the form checklist;

  • A photo of you holding your DVLA driving licence, this is for verification purposes and needs to include your face and the front side of the licence
  • Proof of right to work (you can generate a right to work share code)
  • Passport (if not used for the above)
  • DVLA driving licence
  • DVLA Check Code/Result (you can generate this code)
  • 2 forms of proof of address, from this list:
    • Credit card, bank, or benefit statement (less than 3 months old)
    • Utility bill (not mobile phone bill) (less than 3 months old)
    • Council tax or Mortgage statement (less than 12 months old)
    • P60 or P45 statement (less than 12 months old)
  • Passport style photo to go on your badge, you can take this yourself, please ensure a plain background is used
  • DBS certificate with Update Service subscription
  • Medical form and certificate (scroll down to download these forms)

If you do not have an appropriate enhanced DBS certificate already subscribed to the Update Service, we will send you link to complete a new application.

We will contact you within 5 working days to inform you of the next steps required. Please only contact us if you have not heard back after this period.

You are required to pay the licence application fee of £140 upfront.

Step 2:

Once you have submitted all of the required documents, you will be asked to bring certain documents in for verification, please ensure you bring in the original documents. We will contact you via email with further details once your documents have been reviewed, this will be within 5 working days.

Step 3:

We will check your application over fully and if it meets our requirements, we will issue the licence. We will email you your licence and let you know when your badge is ready to collection from our offices. This can take up to 5 working days.

  • Hackney Carriage/ Private Hire Driver Licence - Grant - £260
  • Hackney Carriage/ Private Hire Driver Licence - Renewal - £140
  • Replacement badge - £20
  • Enhanced DBS Check - £38

The Criminal Records Check fee is subject to change as the Council does not determine this fee. 

The principal legislation is the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 and the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976. The purpose of taxi licensing is detailed in the Department for Transport (DfT) “Taxi and Private Hire Licensing – Best Practice Guide” paragraph 8 which states:

“The aim of local authority licensing of the taxi and PHV trades is to protect the public”.

Vehicles used for hire with the services of the driver, which accommodate a maximum of up to eight passengers, drivers of those vehicles and operators of private hire vehicles are regulated by the above legislation.

Any person who carries out Hackney Carriage or Private Hire activities without the correct licences, would be breaking the law and would not have valid insurance. This can have serious consequences for all parties involved, if an accident or incident occurs.

The legislation creates 3 types of licence:

  • Vehicles (Hackney Carriage and Private Hire)
  • Drivers (Hackney Carriage and Private Hire)
  • Operators (Private Hire only)

Licensed drivers provide a public service. This Licensing Authority will not licence anyone to drive a Hackney Carriage or a Private Hire Vehicle unless it is satisfied that they are a "fit and proper" person.

This Licensing Authority issues 2 types of licences for drivers: a Hackney Carriage Driver licence and a Private Hire Driver licence. These are 2 separate licences and therefore if any person wishes to hold both a Hackney Carriage and Private Hire driver licence, they are required to submit two separate applications. 

All applicants for Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Driver licences must have held a full UK driving licence for a minimum of 3 years. 

Your DVLA check code can be obtained from the view or share your driving licence information section of the GOV.UK website.

To do this you will need your: 

  • Driving licence
  • National Insurance number

Follow the instructions on the GOV.UK website (above) to get your code. Please note that this code is case sensitive and is only valid for 21 days.

Medical Assessment

Due to the length of time an occupational driver (Hackney Carriage and Private Hire) spends at the wheel, it is appropriate to have more stringent medical checks and standards than those applicable to non-professional drivers.

To ensure that public safety is protected, this Licensing Authority requires all applicants to obtain and submit a DVLA 2 medical assessment form (D4) and a medical examination certificate with their application for new licences and renewals.

Medical Examination Report - DVLA Group 2 D4 form

The DVLA Group 2 medical assessment D4 form must be completed by a registered medical practitioner who has access to the applicant’s medical records (i.e. their own GP), and who is licensed to practice in the UK.

Complete a medical form

Medical History  

You may use any GP registered with the General Medical Council, but you will need to provide them with a Contemporaneous Medical History summary sheet. These can be obtained from your registered GP. In some cases, if you have online access to your GP surgery, you will be able to download this summary yourself.

If your chosen GP is unable to conduct the vision test, you will need to take the DVLA Group 2 D4 form to an optician, prior to attending your GP appointment. The optician will complete page 3 of the report and return the form to you. Your chosen GP will conduct the remaining parts of the medical, and then declare you fit or unfit.

Medical Examination Certificate

In addition to having your GP complete the DVLA Group 2 D4 form, they must sign the medical examination certificate that you must return to us with your medical report. Please ensure that your chosen GP is willing to sign this certificate, prior to attending your medical.

Medical Certificate [PDF, 0.1MB]

The medical assessment (which includes the DVLA Group 2 D4 form and Medical Examination Certificate) must be no older than 3 months at the time of submission with the relevant application.

Applicants must pay any fees to the registered medical practitioner for completing the medical assessment.

An enhanced DBS certificate is a mandatory requirement as part of the application for a Hackney or Private Hire drivers licence and is an important element used by this Licensing Authority to ascertain whether the person is ‘fit and proper‘ to hold a licence. 

Applicants will be required to undertake and provide an Enhanced Criminal record check (DBS) certificate for the application to be considered (including a check of both the Adults and Children Barred Lists).  

Due to the role of a Hackney Carriage or private hire driver, the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 does not apply and there are no spent convictions. All convictions will be taken into consideration in determining the application. 

The certificate should be dated within one month from issue at the time of submission. 

An Enhanced DBS check can be carried out at the time of appointment. The certificate will be posted directly to the applicant. The fee is payable online by card at the time of application. This will be: £38 (subject to review). 

In order to process the DBS online, you will need to provide the following original documentation at the time of submitting the application: 

  • Valid Passport 
  • Current DVLA Driving licence 
  • Proof of National Insurance number 
  • 1 x Passport photograph 

Two different proofs of name and address from the following list: 

  • Credit card, bank or benefit statement (less than 3 months old) 
  • Utility bill (not mobile phone bill) (less than 3 months old) 
  • Council tax or Mortgage statement (less than 12 months old) 
  • P60 or P45 statement (less than 12 months old) 

All licensed drivers will be required to subscribe to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Update Service and renew on an annual basis to continue to hold a South Cambridgeshire District Council driver’s licence. 

This Licensing Authority will undertake an annual online check of the DBS Update Service for the applicant’s current status. 

Where an individual fails to maintain their subscription before expiry, they must reapply for a new enhanced DBS check and register for the Update Service. 

The DBS Update Service lets applicants keep their DBS certificates up-to-date online and allows employers to check a certificate online. 

You can join the Update Service at the same time that you apply for a DBS check, or within 19 days of the date of issue printed on your Certificate, via the DBS website.

Registration lasts for one year and a yearly subscription fee is payable by debit or credit card only.  You will receive a notification from the Disclosure and Barring Update Service one month before renewal date.  Please make sure your card details are up-to-date. 

Applicants who have resided outside of the UK for 3 months or longer (since the age of 18 years), in the last 5 continuous years, will be required to submit an overseas criminal record check, authenticated by the Embassy of each country of residence involved. This must be translated into English at the applicant’s expense. The overseas criminal record check must be no more than 3 months old at the time of submission. 

The application process for criminal record checks - or ‘Certificates of Good Character’ for someone from overseas - varies from country to country. You will have to apply in your country of residence, or to the relevant Embassy in the UK. 

Please see the Criminal records checks for overseas applicants guidance page on the GOV.UK website for full details of how to apply and who to contact.

This Local Authority has a statutory duty to ensure that applicants have the legal right to work in the UK, prior to issuing a licence. The issuing or refusing of licences will be undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Immigration Act 2016. 

Your right to work in the UK will be checked as part of your licence application, this could include the licensing Authority checking your immigration status with the Home Office. We may also share information with the Home Office. You must provide a document or document combination that is stipulated as being suitable for this check. Please see the Home Office Checklist: Home Office Employers Right to Work checklist.

You will be asked to submit your original document for verification during the application process. If there are restrictions on the length of time you may work in the UK, your licence will not be issued for any longer than this period. In such circumstances, the check will be repeated each time you apply to renew your licence. If during this period you are disqualified from holding a licence because you have not complied with the UK’s immigration laws, your licence will lapse, and you must return it to this Licensing Authority. Failure to do so is a criminal office.

A right to work share code can be submitted in place of a physical right to work document, a share code can be generated on the prove your right to work section of the GOV.UK website.

Further information can be found in the UK Visas and Immigration section of the GOV.UK website.

From 27 April 2023, all licensing authorities in England are required to:

  • Add details of any refusal to issue or renew a Taxi or Private Hire driver licence application to the NR3S Register relating to safeguarding or road safety concerns
  • Record details on the NR3S Register any revocation or suspension of a Taxi or Private Hire driver licence relating to safeguarding or road safety concerns
  • Search the NR3S Register before issuing or renewing any Taxi or Private Hire driver licence

Where a licence has been refused, revoked or suspended, all licensing authorities in England must record certain required personal information about the applicant / licensed driver on the NR3S database. The information will be retained on the NR3S Register for up to 11 years. Historic decisions may also be added to the register.

The purpose is to assess whether an individual is a fit and proper person to hold a Taxi or Private Hire drivers licence. 

All data processing and sharing will comply with the Data Protection Act (DPA) and the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

If you wish to raise any issue related to the data protection legislation, including by relying on any of the rights afforded to data subjects under the GDPR, you can do so to the authority’s Data Protection Officer at infogov@3csharedservices.org. This includes submitting a subject access request. 

You always have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Advice on how to raise a concern about the handling of data can be found on the ICO’s website. 

 

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