Hackney Carriage driver's licence

Information on applying to be a Hackney Carriage driver

Anyone who drives a licensed hackney carriage must hold a licence to do so from the borough council, in every circumstance. This is because the vehicle remains licensed whether or not it is hired or available for hire.

Hackney carriages, often referred to as taxis, may be hailed in the street, may stand and ply for hire in the street or can be pre-booked. Their maximum fares for journeys within the borough are regulated by the Borough Council.

A hackney carriage driver's licence is granted for a period of 3 years.

Apply for a hackney carriage driver's licence

The council’s policy requires that all applicants:

  • have attained the age of 19 years
  • have held a full UK driving licence for at least two years
  • be able to prove that you have a right to live and work in the UK
  • be the subject of a check with the National Anti Fraud Network database on driver refusals, revocations & suspensions of hackney carriage and private hire licences. Any driver suspensions, revocations or refusals will be registered on the NR3 database

Please complete the online application form below. You will need a credit/debit card to pay the knowledge test fee of £40.00

You will need to upload the following documents with your application:

  • Driving licence showing number and date of expiry (both sides of the card)
  • Passport (showing the page with your photograph and passport details
  • Proof of national insurance number (on an official document)
  • Utility bill or Bank statement dated less than 3 months old
  • Safeguarding training certificate dated within the last three years, if you have completed this
  • Enhanced Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) certificate (for category other workforce) that is registered with the update service, if you have already carried out this check
  •  Proof of your right to work in the UK (if non UK passport holder)
Apply for or Renew a Hackney Carriage Driver's Licence

Once you have submitted your application form, a member of the team will contact you within 5 working days to arrange an appointment to attend Eastleigh House to complete the knowledge & topography test. Further information on the knowledge test is available.

New drivers will also be asked to undertake the following process. We advise drivers to begin this process after passing the knowledge test, as we do not wish applicants to incur unnecessary costs should their application be refused for any reason.  

  1. Pass a driving assessment to the council’s satisfaction.
  2. Consent to an enhanced criminal record disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service. The fee for this is £49.50 payable by debit/credit card. You must also sign up to the DBS update service. Information on how to do this will be supplied to you when the DBS application form is completed. 
  3. Successfully complete safeguarding training approved by Eastleigh Borough Council
  4. Medical Assessment - All new drivers are required to undergo a medical assessment with a medical practitioner to ensure that they meet the criteria for Group 2 vocational drivers licence. The medical practitioner undertaking the assessment must have full access to the patient's medical records. IMPORTANT - A medical report must be no older than 6 months from its date of issue when the licence is ready to grant. Should your own G.P be unable to carry out the medical check, D4Drivers would be able to assist you at an approximate cost of £62.00
  5. When you have received your DBS disclosure certificate you will need to provide the original to the licensing team. You will then be given details of how to register with TaxiPlus for the automated annual DVLA check and 6 monthly DBS update service check. Fees apply. 
  6. The fee for a 3 year licence payable by debit/credit card.

Tax check requirement - Information on tax checks

PLEASE NOTE - if we receive no contact from you for a period of 6 months, your application will be withdrawn and you will need to restart the process again.

Documents

Licensing Team

Members of the licensing team are normally available at Eastleigh House on Monday, Wednesday & Friday each week between 09:00 & 14:00. To submit any applications an appointment must be made before attending the office.