Taxi and private hire licensing for applicants

Taxi and private hire licensing for applicants

This section should be read by anyone wishing to apply for a taxi or private hire driving licence which will enable them to drive a taxi or private hire vehicle licensed within Spelthorne Borough Council.

Anyone wishing to apply for any of the below licences need to comply with Spelthorne Borough Council's Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Policy.

Hackney Carriage

A Hackney Carriage (Taxi) can be flagged down or hired immediately without pre-booking. Both the vehicle and the driver need a licence issued by us. Journeys that are not pre-booked have to begin in Spelthorne borough.

Private Hire

A private hire driver can only be pre-booked through a licensed operator and cannot be hailed on the street or hired from a taxi rank.

Private Hire Operator

If you take private hire bookings, you will need to be licensed as a Private Hire Operator.

Disclosure and Barring Service

More information about the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) can be found on the GOV.UK website.

Once you have completed a DBS with the Council the DBS will then send you a copy of the disclosure certificate; this can take up to eight weeks to be processed. You must then show your certificate to the licensing department. The application will be determined subject to the Convictions Policy guidelines adopted by the Council.

Contact the DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) by telephoning 0870 909 0811and quote your customer reference number for enquiries regarding the progress of your application. Alternatively, the progress of your DBS application can be tracked online by visiting https://secure.crbonline.gov.uk/enquiry/enquirySearch.do

Once you have received your disclosure certificate from the DBS you MUST subscribe to their online service at a cost of £13 a year, in accordance with Spelthorne's Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy. This will allow you to keep your criminal record certificate up to date.

Right to work in the UK

Information on how we conduct right to work checks can be found here: Licensing authority guide to right to work checks - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Please speak to a Licensing Enforcement Officer if you require clarification.

Previous Convictions

You MUST disclose all unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands, or warnings held against you. This includes motoring offences.

If you have previous convictions your application may be referred to the Council's Licensing 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.

Applicants with convictions are urged to consult the Policy regarding the relevance of convictions and other related information (attached to Spelthorne's Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy as Appendix) for insight into whether their criminal history is likely to preclude them from attaining a licence.

Medicals

DVLA Group 2 Medical standards are required for drivers and these assessments must be carried out by your GP or a doctor who has full access to your medical records.

The medical examination will be carried out in accordance with Group 2 requirements recommended by the Medical Commission for Accident Prevention. The publication recommends that taxi drivers (meaning both hackney carriage and private hire drivers) together with emergency ambulance and emergency police drivers should be required to meet Group 2 standards.

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

on initial application
every five years up to the age of 65, 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

Diabetic applicants must also complete part 2 of the medical form, to declare they will adhere to measures specified by the DVSA regarding the management of their condition to meet the group 2 medical standard.

Tax Conditionality for Taxi Drivers and Private Hire Operators

Most people are registered to pay tax already. The check should take a few minutes every few years and is simply to confirm that someone is appropriately registered for tax.

You will need to complete a tax check when you renew your licence as a: