Driver licences

From 4th April you will need to complete a tax check on GOV.UK when you apply or renew your licence.

There are 2 types of taxi driver licence:

Private hire licence

can only drive private hire vehicles
can not accept bookings unless they are, or work for, a licensed operator
must be pre-booked

Dual driver (Hackney carriage)

can drive both taxis and private hire vehicles
can use designated taxi ranks and be flagged down in the street

What you will need to apply for a licence

pass the Knowledge Test
Group 2 medical certificate
proof that you have completed a driver assessment test
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Enhanced Criminal Convictions certificate
Safeguarding Training course certificate
DVLA licence check reference number from GOV.UK

Costs

£262 for a new licence or £194 for a licence renewal
£79 for Knowledge Test
£85 for driver assessment Taxi Test
£50.69 for an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate
£40 for safeguarding training course

Renew a licence

You can renew your licence at a reduced cost if you return the application form at least 7 days before your licence expires.

If your licence has expired, you’ll need to apply for a new licence at the full cost.

It is your responsibility to check the expiry date of your licence. We will not send you a reminder or any other documents.

Apply

PDF Icon Application form for a Hackney Carriage or Private Hire driver's licence - pdf - 1.08 Mb

Return your completed application form, supporting documents and fee to ers@cotswold.gov.uk

Or you can post them to us at:

Licensing
Environmental and Regulatory Services
Trinity Road
Cirencester
GL7 1PX

How you can pay

by phone (01285) 623000
by cheque sent with your application form made payable to Cotswold District Council

We’ll process your application within 5 working days.

Knowledge test

You can book your Knowledge test by calling 01285 623000. You must bring photo ID.

The test covers the following categories:

For dual drivers (Hackney Carriage and Private Hire):

Highway Code – The national rules for safe driving
Numeracy – Simple calculations on time, distance and costs
Policy questions – You should ensure you read the policy below.
Routes – Road names and numbers within the district, major destinations and motorways
Places of interest – Places within the district, including pubs, hotels, supermarkets

For private hire drivers:

Highway Code – The national rules for safe driving
Numeracy – Simple calculations on time, distance and costs
Policy questions – You should ensure you read the policy below.

There are 20 questions in each section. You must answer 16 correctly in each section and score 80% correct in total.

You will get your result within 5 days of the test.

Further information is available in:

PDF Icon Hackney carriage and private hire licensing policy - pdf - 2.55 Mb

Medical examinations

You’ll need a DVLA Group 2 medical examination, which you can arrange with your GP or medical practice. Your GP should perform the exam, or a practitioner with access to your medical records. If your GP can not complete the vision assessment, you may also need an appointment with an optician or optometrist.

Download a medical examination report and view guidance

Your report must be accompanied by the Council’s Medical Declaration Form, which is signed by you and the GP at the time of the exam. We will not accept your medical report without a declaration form and you will have to return to your GP to complete it.

PDF Icon Download a medical declaration form - pdf - 115 Kb

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks

To apply for an enhanced DBS check online. Enter the following details:

Organisation reference: COTSWOLD
Organisation Code: council

When you have submitted the form, email your reference to ers@cotswold.gov.uk

You’ll need to send us 3 types of ID to process your application. A full list of the valid ID types is available on GOV.UK.

You must also sign up to the DBS Online Update Service within 30 days of your DBS certificate being issued. You must send your certificate number to the licensing team. We will suspend your licence if you do not sign up to the Service.

Our licensing Sub-Committee will consider any previous cautions or convictions when processing your application. Refer to our policy on convictions for more information.

Your criminal record will automatically be checked every 6 months using the online update service. Please ensure that you keep your registration active and inform the DBS of any bank card changes (e.g. expiry/change of bank account). Failure to keep the subscription active will result in the update service expiring and you may face suspension whilst a new DBS is applied for.

Safeguarding and Equality Awareness training courses

Cheltenham Borough Council run our virtual safeguarding training courses. To take part, you’ll need to use a laptop or tablet.

To book a place, contact licensing@cheltenham.gov.uk

You can also attend a course in person using Gloucester City Council (GCC). Please contact 01452 396396 to book and make payment for the course. The cost for this course is £35.

You must renew this certificate every 3 years.

Proof of right to work (Immigration Act 2016) and additional requirements for foreign nationals

After you apply we’ll call to book a 10 minute interview, to check that you have the right to work in the UK. You’ll need to bring original documents for this check, please view the list of suitable IDs.

if you have a permanent right to work within the UK, you will need to bring ID from List A
if you have a period of 'leave' you will need to bring ID from List B, Group 1 or Group 2, depending on which group applies.

We only need to do this check once if you have a permanent right to work. If you have a period of ‘leave’ we’ll need to check each time your licence is renewed.

We keep copies of the documents on file for audit purposes and for potential information sharing with the Home Office.

Additional Requirements for foreign nationals

The DBS Criminal Record Check covers England, Wales and the Republic of Ireland. If you are a foreign national or have lived outside of these countries, we must be satisfied that you are a "fit and proper person". We must also take account of any offences committed outside these countries.

If you are a foreign national or have lived outside of England, Wales and the Republic of Ireland, please read Section 1.1 of the Taxi and Private Hire Policy. This explains what documents you must submit with your application.

National Register of Refusals and Revocations (NR3)

Cotswold District Council has signed up to the National Register of Taxi Licence Refusals and Revocations (NR3). From 1st October 2021 Officers will use the register to check all new and renewal driver applications to establish whether they have had a licence revoked or an application refused by another authority.

Find out more about the National Register here

English Proficiency

You must provide an appropriate educational certificate for a qualification related to English. Acceptable qualifications may include a GCSE (or equivalent) in a subject such as English language or literature, a degree in a subject containing substantial English content, or an NVQ or BTEC in a subject that requires its students to communicate well in English. If you are unable to provide an appropriate education certificate you must pass an English Proficiency Test through an approved assessor.

Other Driver fees

Type	Fee
Replacement driver badge	£29.00
Fee to convert from Private Hire to Dual Driver (not including the knowledge test fee)	£56.00
Administration charge for any other requests	£26.00

We will not refund any licences.