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Anyone who drives a hackney carriage (more commonly called a ‘taxi’), or private hire vehicle must hold a hackney carriage or private hire driver’s licence, issued by us.
Applying for a licence involves:
- providing the results of a medical assessment
- passing a practical driving test
- having an enhanced DBS check so officers can consider any criminal convictions, reprimands or warnings
- having your DVLA driving licence checked for any driving convictions or endorsements
- proving you have the legal right to work in the United Kingdom
- being checked against the National Taxi Driver Revocation and Refusals Database (NR3)
- learning about safeguarding and child exploitation
- passing a knowledge test to demonstrate you know the local area and understand the rules of being a licensed driver.
Fees and charges
Current fees and charges can be found on our Fees and charges page.
Register of licensed businesses
Visit the Licensing Register to see a list of registered businesses in the Sedgemoor area.
Before you start
The things that are most likely to be a barrier to you successfully applying for a driver’s licence are:
- having a criminal record
- having points on your DVLA driving licence
- having a significant health issue.
We suggest that if any of these apply to you, contact us before applying for licences and spending money. Please be honest with us and yourself about the above. We will not be supportive if it comes to light that you have knowingly failed to disclose something to us. We want to try and help you, not restrict you.
It is not just the cost of the licence application to consider for a new driver. There are other supporting requirements for which money is due. All of which require payment in full at the time. There are no instalment facilities available. If finances are a problem, you may need to rethink your timetable.
Next, decide which licence you want, Hackney or Private Hire. If you do not know the difference, please do your research. We will not proceed with the process until you can satisfy us you know the difference between them. It is not our responsibility to tell you what licence we think you need or suits you best. Our policy also states that you must live in the Sedgemoor Area. If not, you must satisfy us that that you will be working in the Sedgemoor area for a Sedgemoor-based company. We do not post application forms or packs, you must download supporting documents from our website, and there are links to apply online.
You will need to provide evidence you have the right to work in the UK. The sight of your current UK or EU passport is normally sufficient. Alternatively, a UK birth certificate with an official letter giving your name and National Insurance Number – a letter from HMRC for example. If you cannot provide these, or originate from outside the UK, please refer to the attached right-to-work guidance regarding alternative documents that we can accept in the related documents section below.
The application process can take several weeks if you have to wait for your DBS result and supporting documents, and can take up to a further 10 working days to process once we have received all of your information, so please plan ahead. Licences all expire on the 30th of November on a 3 yearly basis for example 2020, 2023, 2026.
Application requirements
- The application form and appropriate fee. You will then be sent a link to your given email address. This will allow us to register you for online DVLA motoring conviction checks. Alternatively, we may ask you to supply us with an 8 digit case sensitive code. You can obtain this code by visiting: View driving record – view your licence number
- After you apply, you will need to sit a driver knowledge test. This includes questions on our taxi policy and conditions, some geographical locations in Sedgemoor and the South West. It also includes a section on highway-code road signs. You may be required to sit a basic literacy and numeracy test as part of this assessment.
- A current full enhanced DBS criminal records result certificate. Applications are now made online via our approved service provider. Please follow the instructions. You will need a debit card, and your identification to hand while applying. Results can take around 4 weeks to be issued to you. We recommend completing the DBS element as early as possible in your application process to reduce delay. To begin your DBS application: DBS and DVLA check – Taxplus. If you have any questions about obtaining a DBS check then please view the most Personnel Checks – Frequently asked questions. Evidence of at least three verifiable forms of official identification (at least 1 should be a photo ID – Driving Licence or Passport) must be provided. Our service provider allows you to upload them as photos via WhatsApp. You must register for the DBS online update service after you receive your result certificate in the post so that details of any convictions can be checked during the interim years of your licence. Please do this no later than 7 days after receiving your result certificate. We will also need to see this result certificate as DBS do not send us a copy. To register for the update service: Register for DBS update service
- A driving test certificate from either the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency or one of our approved providers. This is similar to a driving test but puts more emphasis on Taxi requirements. From December 2016, the DVSA are no longer conducting Taxi Driver assessments. Please see below for the currently approved driver testing alternatives. These providers charge for this service. Please check with them for current charges.
- A medical form completed by someone with access to your medical records. The cost of the test is agreed upon by whoever conducts the examination.
- Your Driving Licence and an up-to-date passport photograph for your driver ID badge.
Tax conditionality
From 4 April 2022, the government are incorporating new tax requirements for applications for certain licences.
HMRC has developed a new digital service to support these new changes, which will help people in the taxi, private hire, and scrap metal industries to complete this new tax check.
HMRC is working with industry bodies to make these changes as straightforward as possible. The checks should not take too long to complete, every few years, and are designed to confirm that someone is appropriately registered for tax.
You will need to complete a tax check when you renew your licence as a:
- the driver of a taxi (hackney carriage)
- driver of a private hire vehicle (and dual licences)
- private hire vehicle operator
- scrap metal dealer mobile collector
- scrap metal dealer site.
To view the full guidance on what is required for all renewals and new applicants: Tax Check Factsheet – GOV.UK
More information: Changes for taxi, private hire or scrap metal licence applications from April 2022 – GOV.UK.
You can also contact the Licensing Team.
It is also advisable for all new applicants to look at the requirements to ensure they are set up correctly.
Safeguarding training
Evidence of safeguarding training is now mandatory for drivers before a licence is issued. You can access a free online safeguarding training course. It will take around 30 minutes to complete. Please allow pop-ups if requested. Select Non-SSO login and log in as a guest to start. To begin your course visit Somerset Learning Pool.
Please complete the training in full. If you leave the training, you will have to restart from the beginning. Follow the on-screen instructions. You will eventually see seven subject boxes at the bottom of your screen. Each will need to be completed in full. The blue bar at the top of the screen will tell you how far along in each section you are. You must go through every exercise before you can progress to the next section.
At the end of the training, you will be provided with an email address for your local licensing authority. Please include the following in the email before you send it. Your full name, and the date and time you completed the training. We will then conduct a verification check with the software provider to confirm this.
National Taxi Driver Revocation and Refusals Database
Sedgemoor provides information to the National Register of Taxi Licence Refusals and Revocations (NR3). This is a mechanism for licensing authorities to share details of individuals who have had a hackney carriage or Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) licence revoked, or an application for one refused. This is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the licensing authority – that is, assessing whether an individual is a fit and proper person to hold a hackney carriage or PHV licence. Therefore: Where a hackney carriage/ PHV licence is revoked, or an application for one is refused:
- Sedgemoor will now record this decision on NR3.
- All applications for a new licence or licence renewal will automatically be checked on NR3. If a search of NR3 indicates a match with an applicant, Sedgemoor will seek further information about the entry on the register from the authority which recorded it. Any information received as a result of an NR3 search will only be used in respect of the specific licence application and will not be retained beyond the determination of that application.
The information recorded on NR3 itself 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 on NR3 for a period of 25 years.
This is a mandatory part of applying for or being granted, a hackney carriage or PHV driver’s licence. Information will be processed in accordance with the Data Protection Act (DPA) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Any searches, provision or receipt of information of or under NR3 are necessary to the authority’s statutory licensing functions of ensuring that all drivers are fit and proper to hold the applicable licence. It is not intended that any NR3 data will be transferred out of the United Kingdom.
If you wish to raise any issue related to the data protection legislation, including by relying on any of the rights afforded to data subjects under the GDPR, you can do so to the authority’s Data Protection Officer. This includes submitting a subject access request. You always have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Advice on how to raise a concern about the handling of data can be found on the ICO – Make a complaint page.
Renew or apply for your Driver’s Licence
To renew or apply for your Hackney or Private hire Driver’s licence please visit the website below.
Attention all drivers - Warning of enforcement action
Listed below are some of the offences that officers have found on occasions when out in the area. Failure to comply with the council’s policy may result in points being issued on your hackney carriage/private hire driver’s licence. Please ensure that you adhere to the council policy, and legislation and understand the driver conditions and the penalty point scheme. For further information please read the current Taxi Licensing policy.
- Smoking in a private hire or hackney carriage vehicle (including electronic cigarettes).
- Using a mobile phone whilst driving.
- Parking in a loading bay.
- Private hire vehicles parking on a rank.
- Unsuitable dress when working.
- Display of Driver ID badges and Vehicle plates.
- Leaving a hackney carriage vehicle unattended on the rank.