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Apply for a Hackney Carriage and/or Private Hire Driver Licence

New guidance for applicants

The rules for completing a tax check changed on 4 April 2022 in England and Wales.

Please read the guidance information to check if you need to complete a tax check to renew a taxi driver, private hire or scrap metal licence, or to apply for the same type of licence with a different licensing authority.

Important:

New Common Standards for Licensing Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Drivers in Gloucestershire (DOCX, 56.9 KB) have been agreed and can be viewed.

A summary of the main changes to the approved Hackney Carriage/Private Hire Driver and Vehicle Rule books and Operator Rule Books (DOCX, 24.8 KB) approved by the Licensing and Enforcement Committee September 2021 can be viewed.

See the latest Government guidance for Covid-19

Apply for a drivers badge (PDF, 155.2 KB)

Guidance notes for new applicants (PDF, 166.6 KB)

Renew a drivers badge (DOCX, 205.7 KB)

Drivers​  

Drivers are licensed for the protection and safety of the travelling public. They wear badges, which display a licence number, a photograph and an expiry date so that you know that they are properly licensed. They are subject to roadside checks by council officers and the police. 

In the unlikely event that you may need to make a complaint about a licensed driver you can contact us.

Gloucester City Council has  signed up to the National Register of Taxi Licence Refusals and Revocations (known as NR3) which will allow councils to record details of hackney carriage or private hire vehicle (PHV) licences that have been refused or revoked and allow local authorities to check new applicants against the register.

The data held on NR3 will help licensing authorities fulfil their statutory duty to be satisfied that a person is a fit and proper person to hold a licence.

How we'll use the register (from 1 February 2020)

From 1 February 2020, all applications for a new licence or licence renewal we receive will automatically be checked on NR3.

If we find a match with an applicant we will contact the licensing authority that recorded the entry for further information. Any information received as a result of the search will only be used in respect of the specific licence application and will not be held beyond the determination of that application.

If we revoke an existing licence or refuse a new or renewal application we will automatically record this on NR3.

The information recorded will be limited to:

  • name
  • date of birth
  • address and contact details
  • National Insurance Number
  • driving licence number
  • decision taken
  • date of decision
  • date decision effective

Information will be retained for 11 years.

Data protection

All data processing and sharing will be done in accordance with the Data Protection Act (DPA) and General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). 

Gloucester City Council uses personal information to provide services to its customers and, may share your personal data where the law allows . The council is the Controller of the information we hold about you and as such makes the decision about how your information is used. Where we use third parties to provide services on our behalf, they are Processor and can only use the personal data for the purposes we tell them. When we use information about you we have to comply with data protection legislation by making sure you understand how we and our third party providers use your information and what your rights are over the personal data we hold.

The council carries out a number of different functions so we have set out clearly how each service area and third party provider uses your information.

If you want more guidance on data protection in general you can go to the Information Commissioners website where you will find information about your rights and what we need to do in order to comply with the law. https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/

Where you tell one service area that your contact details have changed, we may share this information across the council and our third party providers as we have a duty to ensure the information we hold about you is accurate and up to date.

You have certain rights over the information we hold about you. If you have any queries on how we handle your personal information, you can contact us:

Email: dataprotection@gloucester.gov.uk

Post:

Data Protection
Gloucester City Council
PO Box 2017
Pershore
WR10 9BJ

All new applicants for a Hackney Carriage licence or a Private Hire licence MUST pass an English language proficiency test and it's strongly recommended that this is taken and passed before proceeding with any of the other requirements.

The test costs £45 and can be booked by calling 01452 396396.

To qualify for a licence you must:

  • have held a full DVLA , driving licence for at least 12 continuous months, immediately prior to the date of application
  • be 21 years of age or over
  • ​have no more than 3 current penalty points on their DVLA licence
  • not have any current and relevant criminal convictions and provide a satisfactory enhanced DBS check (see below - paragraph 2)
  • have passed a medical examination
  • have successfully completed the Driving Assessment for Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles which can be taken with any of the following providers. Diamond Advance Tests, The Blue Lamp Trust or Green Penny HCPH Guidance notes for new applications (PDF, 166.6 KB)
  • must pass a Private Hire Knowledge Test (applicants for private hire only)
  • undertake safeguarding awareness training
  • must pass a topographical knowledge test for Gloucester City and the surrounding area (applicants for hackney carriage only) 

Download the hackney carriages rule book​ (DOC, 293.5 KB)
Download the private hire rule book (DOC, 269 KB)
Download the private hire operators rule book. (DOC, 139.5 KB)
Download the hackney carriage and private hire regulatory guidelines (DOC, 263.5 KB)

Before a licence can be issued, the council must satisfy itself that the applicant is a “fit and proper” person to hold a licence. To assist the Licensing Authority in confirming your status all applications must be supported by the following: 

1. Application form  

2. DBS Enhanced Disclosure Application Form

  • Complete a Disclosure and Barring Scheme criminal record check by completing an application on line and submitting all necessary original supporting documents.

Drivers must complete an enhanced criminal record check through the Council to apply for a hackney carriage or private hire drivers licence. 

The application process has changed as follows:

The City Council will continue to accept supporting documents (these are shown below and must be produced when attending to take the Private Hire Knowledge test) but all new applications will be made online and applicants must provide a valid email address so that we are able to create an online account which will enable applicants to complete the application form online.

To apply for a DBS, please email Licensing@gloucester.gov.uk to confirm that you wish to be set up to make an online application.

Once you have been set up, you will receive an email with the web link and your username and password to log on to complete the electronic application and make payment to submit the form for processing. 

Please note that fee for an enhanced DBS check is £65.20 and made online at the time of submitting the electronic application.

If applicants cannot provide the correct identity documents to satisfy route one of the DBS process they will need to give consent to the Council to conduct an external identity check at an extra charge. Please complete the External Identity Check consent form (PDF, 249.7 KB) if this applies.  

  • Full DVLA driving licence and photo card (if applicable) held for more than 1 year
  • Passport (if foreign national this must include eligibility to work in the UK) or Birth Certificate if a British Citizen and you do not hold a Passport
  • evidence of National Insurance Number e.g. HMRC document or P45
  • one additional document showing proof of current address. (See DBS Guidance notes)

Please note, as per the drivers rule books, that all drivers are required to sign up to the DBS update service within 28 days of receiving their certificate.

3. Applicants who since the age of 18 have lived outside of the UK

You'll need to provide a certificate of good conduct from the Embassy of each country you've lived in.

4. Medical certificate

Your medical must be no more than 3 months old when submitted to the Licensing Authority. The medical must be completed on the Gloucester City Council approved form unless prior agreement is sought.

Download the Guidance Notes for completion of medical form for a Hackney Carriage/Private Hire Drivers Licence or a Private Hire Drivers Licence (PDF, 170.6 KB)

5. Information about the Green Penny Driving Assessment, Diamond Advance Tests for Private Hire and Taxi Drivers and The Blue Lamp Trust for Taxi Driving Assessments 

Green Penny driving assessment information (DOCX, 21.8 KB)

Diamond Taxi information (PDF, 216.1 KB) ​

The Blue Lamp Trust for taxi driving assessments (PDF, 182.1 KB)  

6. Hackney Carriage or Private Hire Knowledge test pass certificate

To book a private hire knowledge test please ring 01452 396396 to make payment.

You will then be contacted by a Licensing Officer to make arrangements to take the test.

Download the application form to take the hackney carriage knowledge test. 

To arrange your knowledge test you can either book an appointment when submitting your application by completing the appropriate booking form or phone 01452 396 396 (make sure you have your payment receipt number to hand as you'll need this to book the appointment). 

7. Safeguarding awareness training certificate

Safeguarding training is now available. Please click on this link for course details (dates and venues) 

Safeguarding Courses (DOCX, 15.9 KB)

 8. Application fee in full which can be paid by credit / debit card 

Pay the appropriate fee. Check the cost Fees and Charges 2024/2025 (DOC, 109.5 KB)

The application fee must be paid in full when you submit your application and this can be done online or by phone. Applications cannot be accepted until the correct fee is paid; a copy of the payment receipt must be provided on application to demonstrate the correct fee had been paid. In a pass certificate, you'll need to pay an additional fee.

Payments for licences

Applicants must pay in one of the following ways:

9. Notification of convictions and pending prosecutions

If a driver receives any cautions, convictions, fixed penalties or has a court case pending, he/she MUST inform the Licensing Authority IN WRITING WITHIN 48 HOURS of being formally notified of any such charge, fixed penalty, summons or conviction, or in the case of a custodial sentence as soon as reasonably practical.

Download form to notify a pending prosecution or conviction (PDF, 42.3 KB)  

Additional Forms: