A licence is required before any person can drive a licensed private hire vehicle.

Before a licence is granted the applicant must satisfy the Council that:

• He/she is a fit and proper person to hold a licence;
• He/she is medically fit;  
• He/she has held a full driver's licence (not a provisional licence) granted to the applicant under Part III of the Road Traffic Act 1972 authorising him/her to drive a motor car for at least twelve months prior to the date of the application;
• He/she must pass an enhanced Disclosure Barring Service Check (DBS) to ensure safety to the public

Once the application form has been completed, you need to make an appointment to visit our Offices, bringing with you the following documentation:

• The completed application form.
• Your DVLA Driving Licence (original - not a photocopy) showing your current address.
• Your passport or birth certificate. If you do not have a UK passport or birth certificate, we will accept an alternative document from the approved list along with a sharing code obtained from proving your right to work (gov.uk).
• Two colour passport type photographs taken within the last month.
• Fee (see application pack below)

Applications will not be accepted without production of the above.

An application pack can be downloaded by clicking on the links below:

Private Hire/Hackney Carriage Drivers Knowledge Test Information Pack (pdf 96kb)

Private Hire Hackney Carriage Driver Conditions (pdf 123kb)

Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles and Operators Licence Fees

On production of the completed forms at your appointment at the Civic Centre, your DBS form will be verified and sent to the Disclosure and Barring Service for them to check your records. We normally allow approximately up to 6-8 weeks for this to be completed and returned. The form will be sent to you and it is your responsibility to bring this to our Offices within 30 days of receiving it.

You must also sign up to the DBS Update Service within 30 days of the date of your DBS certificate.

An appointment will also be confirmed with you to sit your knowledge test. The knowledge tests are currently being held every fortnight and could fall on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday afternoon at 2pm. You will be given an appointment date at your interview / via phone and may be subject to change.

You will also be required to undergo a driving assessment - please see more information and booking details.

Once each element of the application process has been passed, your dual badge driving licence will be issued to you and you are able to start driving.

Please see the New Driver Applications Flowchart (pdf 95kb) for more details on the application process. It is worth noting if you decide to withdraw your application for whatever reason at any stage, a full refund will not be given and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

If you have any questions about the above information, please feel free to contact us on the contact details at the top of this page.