Becoming a Taxi Driver

There are no minimum or maximum age limits for applicants who wish to hold a Hackney Carriage/Private Hire driver's licence with Erewash Borough Council. However, applicants must have held a full, current driving licence for at least 12 months. Applicants must also satisfy all other checks and requirements of the application process, including regular medical checks dependent on their age and medical fitness.

You must have held a full driving licence (not a provisional licence) for at least 12 months.

The driving licence should show your current address and we will not accept any Driving Licence which shows any other address. Please note it is a criminal offence not to notify the DVLA of a change of address. You could be fined up to £1000.

Your driving licence must be produced at the time of your application. The Council will require checking licence details with the DVLA, Swansea and for this purpose you are required to complete the form of authorisation attached to the application form.

Unfortunately the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (The DVSA) is no longer running its Private Hire Assessment for taxi drivers, the qualification previously required by Erewash Borough Council as part of the application process to become a Hackney Carriage/Private Hire driver.

Until such time as a permanent new provider is decided upon to replace the DVSA test it has been decided that in the interim period any new applicants to Erewash Borough Council may undertake any of the practical driving assessments listed below - these will temporarily replace the DVSA driving assessment:

1. The Blue Lamp Trust
2. Diamond Advanced Motorists

You will need to undergo a police check and subscribe to the online Disclosure and Barring Update Service.

For new applicants you must first Complete an enhanced DBS disclosure application form. These can be obtained from the Civic Centre, Long Eaton. Please ring the Licensing Department 0115 907 1110. This form must be completed and submitted to the licensing department at Erewash Borough Council, accompanied by the appropriate proof of identity,  where the form will be countersigned by a licensing officer for you. A list of acceptable documents is provided with the application form.

More information about the Disclosure & Barring Service can be found on the Home Office website.

Disclosure and Barring Service - GOV.UK

The DBS will then send you a copy of any the disclosure certificate; this can take up to 8 weeks to be processed by both the DBS and the police.  You must then show your certificate to the licensing department. Once this information has been received, the application will be determined subject to the guidelines adopted by the Council. 

For enquires regarding the progress of your application contact the DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) by telephoning 0870 9090 811 and quoting the following customer reference number 20042500005. Alternatively, the progress of your DBS application can be tracked online by visiting the DBS tracking service.

Disclosure and Barring Tracking Service

Once you have received your disclosure certificate from the DBS you must subscribe to their online DBS update service within 30 days, at a cost of £16 a year. This will allow you  to keep your criminal record certificate up to date, and take it from role to role within the same workforce, including Derbyshire County Council school contracts. Being subscribed to the service will also mean that employers will be able to carry out free, online checks of an your disclosure certificate (with your consent) to check that it is up to date, and you will not be required to submit a new certificate every three years as is normally the case for licensed taxi drivers. Speak to a licensing officer if you require more information on this service.

DBS Update Service - GOV.UK

Please note: Any foreign national or applicant who has lived abroad for six continuous months or more since the age of 18 years old will be required to produce a document from the relevant Government department or Embassy of their country of origin, or last place of residence if more appropriate, which provides a comprehensive criminal record. This document must provide contact details of the Government department or Embassy in order that officers may verify its authenticity. All costs in respect of this documentation will be borne by the applicant. This documentation will be addition to the DBS certificate.

For more information please consult the Home Office Guidance for contacting overseas bodies for criminal records checks or contact the licensing department.

Criminal records checks for overseas applicants - GOV.UK
 

Under Schedule 5 of the Immigration Act 2016, all councils must make sure that licences are not issued to people who do not have a right to a licence.  This includes those illegally present in the UK, those not permitted to work in the UK, or those permitted to work in the UK but who are subject to a condition that stops them from holding a hackney carriage/private hire licence driver's licence.

The checks that we have to complete are for people of all nationalities, including UK citizens and must be completed by everyone who wants to apply for a hackney carriage/private hire driver's  licence or a private hire operator's licence. 

This means that licensing officers will now need to see proof of right to work in the UK for every new applicant and every existing licence holder. Please contact the licensing team if you need further information about what documents are acceptable to prove the right to work in the UK.  Original documents only will be accepted. We cannot accept photocopies.

Schedule 5 Immigration Act 2016

Applicants may demonstrate their right to work by allowing the licensing authority to carry out a check with the Home Office online right to work service. 

To demonstrate their right to work via the Home Office online right to work checking service, applicants should include in this application their 9 digit share code (provided to them when accessing the service. This, along with the applicant’s date of birth (provided within the application form) will allow the licensing authority to carry out the check. 

Check a job applicant's right to work - GOV.UK

In order to establish the applicant’s right to work, the check will need to indicate that the applicant is allowed to work in the United Kingdom and is not subject to a condition preventing them from doing work relating to the driving of a hackney carriage or private hire vehicle. An online check will not be possible in all circumstances because not all applicants will have an immigration status that can be checked online.

The Home Office online right to work checking service sets out what information and/or documentation applicants will need to access the service. Applicants who are unable to obtain a share code from the online service should submit documents to the licensing authority as set out above. 

Even though you have agreed to a Criminal Record Check with the Disclosure & Barring Service you must disclose all unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands or warnings held against you. Formal caution means a caution which is recorded in writing where the applicant has admitted guilt for the offence and accepted the caution.

If you have previous convictions your application may be referred to the Council's Licensing and Public Protection Committee for determination. You will be invited to attend the meeting to speak in support of your application. The Committee will then decide whether they consider you a 'fit and proper person' to hold a licence.
 

DVLA Group 2 Medical standards are required for our licensed drivers, and Group 2 assessments are to be carried out by the applicant's own doctor or a doctor having access to their medical records or a summary of this. The doctor must then sign a declaration that they have had access to the applicant's medical records and that he/she is considered fit/unfit to drive a vehicle under Group 2 medical standards (the same standards set for a HGV, Bus, emergency worker).  

D4 medical forms can be obtained from the licensing department at the Civic Centre, Long Eaton or alternatively, the D4 Medical Form can be downloaded, along with some guidance notes regarding the form. 

Applicants for a Hackney Carriage/Private Hire Driver's Licence will be required to undertake a medical at the following times:

• on initial application
• at the age of 45, and then every five years up to the age of 65 (50, 55, 60, 65) unless restricted to a shorter period for medical reasons.
• at the age of 65 medicals will be required annually without an upper age limit
• if  a driver is diagnosed with a medical condition which may affect his or her driving ability at any time, the Council may require either more frequent medical checks and/or supporting evidence from medical specialists or consultants.

You will need to make arrangements with the Licensing Officer to take a knowledge test. Tests are normally held once a month at Long Eaton Town Hall.

The test comprises of a four part written paper and will last for one hour. Part 1 contains questions on Hackney Carriage/Private Hire Driver and vehicle licence conditions; Part 2 contains questions on disability and safeguarding issues: Part 3 contains questions on local area knowledge; Part 4 contains questions on the Highway Code & road safety.

You must answer at least 70% of the questions correctly from each section correctly in order to pass the knowledge test. The Drivers Licence Conditions can be found in  Guidance Booklet - Drivers. The Vehicle Licence Conditions can be found in Guidance Booklet - Vehicles.

Guidance on safeguarding and disability issues can be found on the Safeguarding page. 

A Disability Awareness e-learning training course is also available to assist applicants with the knowledge test and the module can be  accessed from your home PC. The course has been designed to raise disability awareness within the taxi trade. Access details will be included in the application pack for new drivers or alternatively contact the licensing office.

A fee is payable to undertake the knowledge test. If you fail the examination a retest fee will be incurred and the test must be retaken up to a period of three months following the first test.  Any candidate failing the examination three times will have to reapply as a new applicant.