Taxi and private hire dual driver licence
New driver applicants - Please note:
There is currently a 5 month lead-in time (and getting longer) for a new driver virtual appointment. We have set a maximum limit of 40 new driver applications per week, in order that the Licensing Team can carry out all of the other work (applications and enforcement) it is required to undertake without any loss of service to those customers.
No application can be submitted without you having first pre-booked a virtual appointment (a time and date for you to submit the application and all supporting documents). The purpose of the virtual appointment system is to ensure that sufficient time can be allocated to taxi applications, and sufficient time can be allocated for all of the other work undertaken by the Licensing Team.
We know that having to wait 5 months to submit a new driver application is a long time; this waiting time is caused by the very high volume of people wanting to get a Taxi Driver Badge from us. So it may help you to know that all local authorities issue the same licences (Driver Badge, Vehicle Licence, Operator Licence), and have almost identical standards for new driver applications. So if you don’t want to wait for 5 months to get a driver badge from us, then you may want to consider applying to another Council.
Please be aware of the following advice:
- Driver badges issued by any local authority; You can only drive vehicles licensed by that same local authority that issued the driver badge. You cannot get a driver badge from one local authority and drive vehicles licensed by another; that is the law
- You should check if the company you want to work for is licensed by the same local authority as your are wanting to apply for a driver badge from
- If the company is licensed by the local authority that you are going to apply to, you can choose whether to licence a vehicle with that local authority as either a Hackney Carriage vehicle or as a Private Hire vehicle, to then be able to work for that company (with many local authorities, any vehicle that is to be licensed as a Hackney Carriage will need to be a wheelchair accessible vehicle)
- If the company is not licensed by the local authority you are going to apply to, then you will need to licence a vehicle as a Hackney Carriage vehicle to then legally be able to work for that company.
New vehicle applicants - Please also note:
Due to the high levels of new driver applications, we are also experiencing very high volumes of new vehicle applications.
This has created a current lead-in time of 3 months to obtain an available compliance test slot required for Hackney Carriage and / or Private Hire vehicle applications.
A solution to this will commence on 1 December 2023 – and a newsletter was sent to the Taxi Trade in October 2023.
Becoming a licensed driver
To drive a Hackney carriage (taxi), or a private hire vehicle (minicab) you must be licensed as a driver. This is called a dual driver licence as you are able to drive both Hackney carriages or private hire vehicles licensed by us.
The licence allows you to work anywhere in the country, but the vehicles you drive must be licensed here too. If you work for a private hire company they must also hold a private hire operator's licence, granted by the same council the driver and the vehicle are licensed by.
There are a number of mandatory checks needed before you will be licensed and you cannot work as a driver until your licence is granted. We will also carry out a check on the National Register of Taxi Licence Refusals & Revocations (NR3).
If a licence is granted, it lasts for 1, 2, or 3 years (depending on how long you choose when you apply), unless we decide a shorter time is more appropriate following the results of the background checks we carry out.
If you are thinking about applying to be a taxi driver, then you must:
- hold a current UK DVLA driving licence;
- have the right to work in the UK;
- have obtained an enhanced DBS Certificate;
- have registered that enhanced DBS Certificate to the DBS Update Service; and
- have been signed off by a Doctor as being medically fit to be a taxi driver.
Apply for a new taxi driver badge and licence
Just follow this 6 steps guide:
1. Get an enhanced DBS certificate from “TAXIPLUS”:
- Go online to: TaxiPlus.
- Follow the instructions on their website.
- Enter “Ashfield District Council” where it asks for the name of which Council.
- Pay the DBS fee of £53.00 to TaxiPlus.
2. Get registered with the DBS update service:
- As soon as you receive the enhanced DBS certificate from TaxiPlus (you have a maximum of 30 days from the date it was issued to do so).
- Then go online to the DBS update service.
- Make a note of your DBS update service registration number.
3. Contact the Licensing team:
- Now that you have your enhanced DBS certificate from TaxiPlus, and have registered it to the DBS update service, you need you need to secure a virtual appointment with the Licensing Team for a time and date that you can submit your full application and supporting documents. Note: no applications will be accepted without a virtual appointment having first been allocated.
- Call 01623 457589 to book your virtual appointment. There is a 6-month lead-in time between you calling the Licensing Team and an available slot for a Virtual Appointment.
4. Get our Driver application pack
- Download our Taxi driver application pack
- Complete the relevant application forms found at the end of the application pack.
- No earlier than 3 months prior to the date of your Virtual Appointment, book an appointment with your Doctor to get the Group II medical assessment carried out (the form you need is in the Taxi driver application pack).
5. Pay the new taxi driver application fee:
Choose the right option from the list, and pay the application fee.
You must pay the appropriate fee before the date of your virtual appointment.
- New Driver 1 Year Badge (£180.00)
- New Driver 2 Year Badge (£220.00)
- New Driver 3 Year Badge (£260.00)
6. Submit your new taxi driver application and supporting documents to us by email:
- On the day of your virtual appointment (but not before then, as we are already dealing with many customers who have pre-booked virtual appointments ahead of yours) send an email to licensing@ashfield.gov.uk and state “New driver / your name / the time and date of your virtual appointment” in the subject line of the email (so we can easily identify you).
- Attach to the email all of the items listed at page 8 of your driver application pack within “Procedure: New Hackney Carriage & Private Hire Dual Driver Licence” (please ensure that you are using the driver application pack found in the related documents section of this web page– not a pack given to you by someone else as that pack may now be out of date). Incomplete applications will be rejected so please take the time to read the driver application pack to avoid delays in processing your application.
- We will contact you by email to confirm everything is ok. If too many of the required supporting documents are missing, your application will be rejected, and you will need to re-book a new virtual appointment. It is your responsibility to prove to us that you have followed the instructions that are provided, as this has a bearing on your suitability to be granted a taxi driver badge.
It is your responsibility to prove to us that you have followed the instructions that are provided, as this has a bearing on your suitability to be granted a taxi driver badge.
If your application is deemed by the Licensing Officer to be complete, then we will carry out any necessary background checks to ensure that we would be able to grant you a new taxi driver badge.
Applicants who fail to disclose relevant matters that would be found through our extensive background checks, will be rejected. You must declare all historic and current motoring convictions, criminal cautions/convictions, and state if you currently hold or have ever held a taxi driver badge with any other Council, and whether you have ever had any other taxi driver badge revoked or any taxi driver application refused. It is an offence to fail to declare any relevant information.
If all of the background checks are deemed to be satisfactory, then you will be sent information to complete our online knowledge test and online safeguarding test. Use your driver application pack to help you answer the questions in both tests.
If you pass both of the online tests and we are satisfied that there is no other information relating to your application that we are awaiting (for example references from other Councils or agencies), we'll grant your new taxi driver badge and licence, and post them to your home address.
What is the Knowledge test?
The Knowledge test is completed online and consists of questions relating to the rules and regulations of driving a Hackney carriage or private hire vehicle, an assessment of your English Language skills, and an assessment of your mathematics skills.
What is the Safeguarding test?
The Safeguarding test is completed online and consists of questions relating to your responsibilities as a Taxi drivers to ensure the safety of vulnerable passengers.
As a Taxi driver you will need to be aware as to the indicators of risk that would enable you to identify a person who is at risk of abuse, neglect, trafficking, and to whom to raise your concerns.
What medical checks are carried out?
You must be fit enough to carry out the demands of the job including carrying luggage or helping passengers in wheelchairs. Some medical conditions mean you are not allowed to drive professionally.
The medical form you submit makes sure we know of any health conditions, or reasons why you might not be able to do the work. The form should be signed by a doctor and existing licence holders must renew their medical form at the ages of 45, 50, 55, 60 and 65. We can ask for a medical form to be submitted more often if we think it is needed.
How much does a licence cost?
There are few elements which need paying for in order to get your dual Hackney carriage and private hire driver licence. You can pay by debit or credit card through our online system when you've submitted your application or at other times.
| Type of licence or item | Cost (£) |
|---|---|
| New 1-year Hackney Carriage & Private Hire (Dual) Driver Licence | £180.00 |
| New 2-year Hackney Carriage & Private Hire (Dual) Driver Licence | £220.00 |
| New 3-year Hackney Carriage & Private Hire (Dual) Driver Licence | £260.00 |
| Renewal of 1-year Hackney Carriage & Private Hire (Dual) Driver Licence | £160.00 |
| Renewal of 2-year Hackney Carriage & Private Hire (Dual) Driver Licence | £200.00 |
| Renewal of 3-year Hackney Carriage & Private Hire (Dual) Driver Licence | £240.00 |
| Replacement Identity Badge | £15.00 |
| Driver Knowledge Test Resit Fee | £25.00 |
| Safeguarding Test Resit Fee | £15.00 |
| Amendment to licence | £15.00 |
| Copy of licence | £5.00 |
Who can I work for?
With a taxi and private hire dual driver licence you can drive a Hackney carriage or a drive a private hire vehicle – the vehicles must be also be licensed by us.
If you drive a Hackney carriage you can be hailed in the streets or wait at ranks in the Ashfield area, and do pre-booked work anywhere in the country. If you drive a private hire vehicle, all your work must be given to you by a private hire operator licensed by us.
Please note:
We do not currently licence companies such as Uber or Bolt, so the only way you can work for them with our Taxi Driver Badge will be if you licensed a fully wheelchair accessible vehicle as a Hackney Carriage with us.
You can licence a vehicle as a taxi or for private hire through this web page.
Other ways to contact us about taxi and private hire driver licences
If you have a question about licensing or want to make a complaint about a taxi or private hire operator, vehicle or driver, you can contact us by:
- email: licensing@ashfield.gov.uk
- telephone: 01623 457589