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Taxi and private hire dual driver licence

Page content index

On this page, you will find the following sections:

Waiting time to obtain a new driver applicant virtual appointment

All applications must be submitted by way of a pre-booked virtual appointment. There is currently a 5 month lead-in time (and getting longer) for a new driver virtual appointment.

We know that having to wait 5 months to submit a new driver application is a long time, but it is caused by the very high volume of people wanting to get a New Taxi Driver Badge from us. 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, in which case the following advice should be helpful to you:

  1. You can only drive vehicles licensed by the 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.
  2. You should check if the company you want to work for is licensed by the same local authority as you are wanting to apply for a driver badge from.
  3. If the company is licensed by the local authority that you are going to apply to, you can then 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.
  4. 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.

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Why a licence is needed to be a Taxi Driver and what checks are carried out

To drive a Hackney carriage (taxi), or a private hire vehicle (minicab) you must be licensed as a driver. We only issue a “dual driver licence”, which means that 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 with us (Ashfield District Council).

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What checks are carried out on new applicants

There are a number of mandatory checks that are carried out as part of the application process, and these include:

  • Criminal record status
  • Driving licence status
  • Health status
  • Ability to Work legally in the UK
  • Obligation to pay Income Tax
  • Standard of written and spoken English language skills
  • History with any other Council as a Taxi Driver

If you have a criminal record or have been convicted of motoring offences, then there is less chance of you being granted a licence. You should refer to our

Hackney Carriage and Private Hire - Warnings, offences, cautions and convictions policy [PDF 1Mb]

to check whether anything on your criminal record or DVLA Driver Licence would lessen your chances of being successful with your application.

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Standard of written and oral English language skills

With effect from 1 January 2024, all new applicants who contact the Licensing Team to book a virtual appointment to submit a new Taxi Driver application to Ashfield District Council will be required to provide evidence that they possess an adequate knowledge of both written and spoken English, by way of a recognised Certificate / Qualification when submitting their new Taxi Driver application.

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Recognised Certificates / Qualifications would be:

  • a GCSE English examination certificate
  • a certificate from a language school
  • a qualification in a subject where the course was conducted in English
  • an English language assessment certificate, etc.

The acceptable minimal level qualification is ESOL English Language Entry Level 2.

A full list of acceptable Certificates / Qualifications can be found

Not everyone may have a relevant certificate/qualification, or may not be able to find their old Certificate.

In such cases you can:

  1. Visit: National Careers Service and search for providers of ESOL English Language Entry Level 2 close to where you live.
  2. Contact a School of Languages of your choice; however, any such certificate/qualification you obtain must be to at least ESOL English Language Entry Level 2 standard.
  3. Find an online English Language Assessment Certificate provider, who will require you to sit an online assessment via a webcam.
  4. To obtain a copy of a lost certificate/qualification, you can request a “Certified statement of results´ certificate from the relevant exam board.

Please note:

If (when submitting your new Taxi Driver application and supporting documents at your virtual appointment) you fail to provide a copy of your certificate/qualification, or have not yet undertaken a course to obtain the necessary certificate/qualification to prove that your written and oral English language skills meet with our minimum standard, your application will be refused and rejected.

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How to apply for a Taxi Driver licence (6 step guide)

Just follow this 6 steps guide, in the order that it is written:

Step 1. Get an enhanced DBS certificate from “TAXIPLUS”:

  1. Go online to: TaxiPlus.
  2. Follow the instructions on their website.
  3. Enter “Ashfield District Council” where it asks for the name of which Council.
  4. Pay the DBS fee and I.D. Verification fee to TaxiPlus.

Step 2. Get registered with the DBS update service:

  1. 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).
  2. Then go online to the DBS update service.
  3. Make a note of your DBS update service registration number.

Step 3. Contact the Licensing team:

  1. 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.
  2. Call 01623 457589 to book your virtual appointment. There is a significant lead-in time between you calling the Licensing Team and an available slot for a virtual appointment. 

Step 4. Get our Driver application pack

  1. Download our Hackney carriage and Private hire (dual) driver application pack [PDF 8Mb]
  2. Complete the relevant application forms found at the end of the application pack.
  3. 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).

Step 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.

  1. New Driver 1 Year Badge (£180.00)
  2. New Driver 2 Year Badge (£220.00) 
  3. New Driver 3 Year Badge (£260.00) 

Step 6. Submit your new taxi driver application and supporting documents to us by email:

  1. 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).
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

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What happens after a new Taxi Driver application is made

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.

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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.

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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.

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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, and annually thereafter. We can ask for a medical form to be submitted more often if we think it is needed.

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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

Pay for your application

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Who can I work for with my Taxi Driver badge

With a Ashfield District Council 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.

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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:

Related links:

Related documents: