Introduction
The purpose of the licensing regime is to ensure the safety of the travelling public and that vehicles used for this purpose are safe and comfortable; that drivers are safe and suitable and are courteous not only to passengers but to other members of the public and other road users; and that licensing rules are observed. To achieve this, the Council set certain standards that all applicants must meet and for existing drivers to maintain.
Application Forms
Before you can start completing the necessary pre-requisites to become a taxi driver, you will need to
complete the ‘intention to apply’ driver’s application form online at:
https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/new-driver-applications
The online application will also require you to pay for the initial application fee. The current fees can be found at https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/taxi-licence-fees
The form should be completed in full and signed online by the person making the application. Where this is not possible, it can be completed by another person provided the relevant section on the form is completed.
National Anti-Fraud Network (NR3) Register
In accordance with the Taxi Policy 2022, all new applicants will be checked against the NR3 register to determine if they have been refused or revoked by another Local Authority. This register is used by licensing authorities to share information about drivers to mitigate the risk of non-disclosure of relevant information by applicants.
If notification of a refused or revoked licence is disclosed, the relevant Council will be contacted to establish when the licence was refused, suspended or revoked and the reasons why. Any information that is disclosed will be considered in determining the applicants fitness to be licensed.
If the Council receives information that a licence holder did not disclose the information referred to by the disclosing Council, this may suggest dishonesty and any dishonesty will be considered when determining the applicant's fitness to be licensed.
Please note that an applicant should satisfactorily complete the application process within a maximum period of 6 months from the date of your face-to-face appointment. If no contact is received for 6 months or insufficient progress has been made towards the grant of a licence, then the application will be cancelled and all paperwork destroyed with no repayment of fees.
Making an application
After you have completed and submitted the online ‘intention to apply’ application, a member of the Taxi Licensing Team will aim to contact you within 5 working days to arrange a short 30 minute face to face appointment.
When you attend your appointment, you must bring the following forms and means of identification. All documents must be original, in good condition and will be returned to you after the completion of the appointment:
- Your UK DVLA driver’s licence which must have full entitlement to drive motorcars for at least 12 months.
- Enhanced DBS Certificate and Certificate of Good Conduct (if applicable) - this
may be produced later prior to the issue of your licence.
Please note: that new applicants must now sign up to the DBS Update Service www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service within 30 days of the DBS certificate being issued. You will then need to provide us with the Update Service Certificate Number and sign a declaration on your application to agree that we can check your DBS every 6 months. However, if you do not wish to subscribe to the Update Service, then you will be subject to a new DBS check every six months starting with the date of the first DBS and then six monthly from that date.
We recommend you obtain your Enhanced DBS and Certificate of Good Conduct (if applicable) this as early as possible as if you have any previous convictions, you will be referred to the Taxi Licensing Committee for a decision on your application.
- Proof of right to work in the UK, or the provision of a UK passport.
- Completed medical (this may be produced later prior to the issue of your licence).
If the application form is completed incorrectly or the documents required for the application are either not provided, incomplete or not correct, your application will not be accepted.
At the appointment you will be issued with a Welcome Letter which contains your application number and your photograph. Once you have received this letter you can start to rest of the required pre- requisites:
- Enhanced DBS
- Medical
- Topographical Knowledge of Plymouth test (new hackney carriage driver licence applicants only)
- Spoken English Test (if you do not have a qualification which has been taught and assessed in English)
- Driving Standards Test
- Safeguarding Training (2-hour online workshop)
- Plymouth Ambassador Course (2 x half day online course)
These pre-requisite tests are an essential part of the application process that ensures an applicant has the appropriate baseline skills to become a licensed driver. The licence application is not considered to be completed until all the above elements have been provided.
Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) Enhanced Disclosure Check
The Council has a statutory duty to ensure that new applicants and existing licence holders are ‘safe and suitable’ to hold a licence and will consider any relevant convictions and/or motoring endorsements you may have.
Applicants are therefore required to undertake an enhanced level DBS criminal record disclosure (where the applicant has resided in this country for more than 3 months).
New applicants must also sign up to the DBS Update Service www.gov.uk/dbs-update- service within 30 days of the DBS certificate being issued. You will then need to provide us with the Update Service Certificate Number and sign a declaration to agree that we can check your DBS every 6 months.
However, if you do not wish to subscribe to the Update Service, then you will be subject to a new DBS check every six months starting with the date of the first DBS and then six monthly from that date.
Where convictions are disclosed, you may be referred to the Taxi Licensing Committee.
Full details of how to apply for your DBS can be found in the ‘DBS Process Guide’ on our website at https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/new-driver-applications
The Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) will supply you with a certificate listing any convictions.
When you have received this certificate, you can arrange an appointment to show this document to the Licensing Office and proceed with your application.
The DBS must be no more than 3 months old at the date of application.
Please refer to the Council’s Guidelines relating to the Relevance of Convictions and Conduct on our website at: https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/taxi-policy-guidance-and-byelaws
Certificates of Good Conduct
If you are a foreign national, or you are a UK national and within 10 years of the date of application you have lived outside of the UK for a continuous period of 3 months or more since the age of 18 you must obtain a certificate of good conduct from the country or countries that you have lived in. This is in addition to any requirement to obtain a DBS certificate and must be less than 3 months old at the date of the application.
The Certificate of Good Conduct must be obtained at the applicant’s expense, be an original official
document, officially sealed and translated into English.
It is a legal requirement that all persons working in this country have a National Insurance number issued from HM Revenue & Customs prior to working.
However, if you are unable to provide a certificate of good conduct due to there being no process for obtaining criminal record certificates from the home country authorities (as set out in Home Office guidance), and you have lived in the UK from the age of 18 years and have been resident here for 5 continuous years you will be exempt from provision of this certificate.
For further details about how to apply for criminal record checks overseas, please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas- applicants
Proof of right to work in the UK
As of 1 December 2016, all Councils are required to confirm, before issuing a new licence or renewing an existing licence that the applicant has the right to work in the UK. Under no circumstances will any applicant who cannot meet this requirement be granted a licence.
The documents required to prove your right to work in the UK differ based on your current citizenship. Please see the ‘Identification documents’ information sheet on our website at: https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Identification%20Documents.pdf.
If you are a refugee or an asylum seeker, then you cannot apply online and you must contact taxi.licensing@plymouth.gov.uk to discuss your application.
How do I apply to become a taxi driver?
If you have ever lived outside the UK for a continuous period of 3 months or since the age of 18
If the Home Office guidance advise there is no means to obtain a certificate of good conduct from the country or countries you have lived in or if you a refugee or asylum seeker you cannot apply apply and must email taxi.licensing@plymouth.gov.uk We will discuss your application with you.
Otherwise you must check the home office guidance regarding criminal records checks for overseas applicants. You need to obtain a certificate of good conduct (COGC) from each country this applies to. Upload a copy of each certificate onto the online application.
Complete the online application form ‘intention to Apply for a Taxi Driver’ at www.plymouth.gov.uk/new-driver-applications
You will need to have the following information in front of you:
- Enhanced DBS certificate – Please read the DBS process guide at https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/taxi-licensing
- DVLA driving license
- Evidence of right to work in the UK
If you haven't lived outside the UK for more than 3 months since the age of 18
Complete the online application form ‘intention to Apply for a Taxi Driver’ at www.plymouth.gov.uk/new-driver-applications
You will need to have the following information in front of you:
- Enhanced DBS certificate – Please read the DBS process guide at https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/taxi-licensing
- DVLA driving license
- Evidence of right to work in the UK
How do I apply diagram
Spoken English Test
All new applicants must demonstrate an adequate and reasonable level of English. You must provide evidence of a qualification that was taught and assessed in English. Examples are, but not limited to, GCSE’s, ‘O levels’, GCE, NVQ, BTEC, RFQ, City and Guilds or similar, Degree, HND, HNC etc. or a qualification equivalent to any previously listed issued by a recognised examining body in an English- speaking Country other than the UK. The weight given to the subject and grade achieved will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Applicants who do not have a suitable qualification or cannot provide the required evidence, will be required to undertake the Spoken English assessment (additional cost). Please refer to the Spoken English Assessment Test Procedure at www.plymouth.gov.uk/taxipolicy.
Knowledge of Plymouth Test
From 1 April 2024 only new driver applicants applying for new Hackney Carriage Driver licences will need to successfully pass the Knowledge of Plymouth test. New Private Hire Driver Applicants do not need to take the test.
Hackney Carriage Driver licence applicants only will have to successfully pass a written Knowledge of Plymouth test that assesses your knowledge of the driving between set routes by the quickest available route; venues, tourist destinations, and popular locations; law and conditions of licence; and customer care.
This examination will take place under supervised exam conditions at a Plymouth City Council venue.
Please see our website for further details: https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/new-driver-applications
Driving Standards Test
Each applicant must successfully pass a driving test to demonstrate that they are a competent and safe driver. This test is carried out on behalf of the Council by an appointed driving examiner and comprises of a practical driving standard test on which you will be asked to follow directions from a sat nav system, questions on customer care, the highway-code and basic mechanical principles.
Before contacting City Bus to arrange an appointment, you must have received your Welcome Letter from Taxi Licensing and then pay for the test online under ‘Driving Standards Test’ at https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/new-driver-applications. The current fee can be found at www.plymouth.gov.uk/taxilicencefees
Full details of the pass requirements can be found on our website. Drivers intending to drive Special Event Vehicles will be required to pass the driving standards test in that type of vehicle.
Safeguarding Course and Plymouth Ambassador Course
Every applicant must attend a two-hour Safeguarding awareness training session and a Plymouth Ambassador Course which is held over two half day sessions (you must attend both sessions). These courses are currently carried out online. During your appointment, you will be booked onto the next available training session. These courses are run subject to demand so please ensure you attend your session to prevent any delay to your application. For further information please see https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/vrq-or-equivalent-qualification-safeguarding-and-plymouth-ambassador-course
Driving Licences
By law you must have held a full driving licence for at least 12 months prior to applying for a licence to drive a Hackney Carriage or Private Hire vehicle, entitling you to drive motor cars. Before accepting any application for a licence, you must ensure that the driving licence has your current address and is free from defects.
Drivers Qualifications
The Council requires all new drivers to complete a relevant qualification (BTEC Level 2/VRQ award in “Transporting Passengers by Taxi and Private Hire” or equivalent qualification) within 12 months of being issued their first licence all costs incurred are the responsibility of the applicant. Failure to comply is likely to lead to your licence not being renewed.
Taxi Licensing
Plymouth City Council
Ballard House
West Hoe Road
Plymouth
PL1 3BJ
Telephone: 01752 304141
Email: Taxi.licensing@plymouth.gov.uk