Watford Borough Council Licence - hackney carriage drivers'

Watford Borough Council


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Licence - hackney carriage drivers'

hackney carraige drivers'

A licence is required before any person can drive a hackney carriage (taxi). 

Before a licence is granted the applicant must satisfy the Council that:

  • he/she is a fit and proper person to hold a licence
  • he/she is medically fit
  • he/she has attained the age of 21 years
  • he/she has held a full driver's licence (not a provisional licence) granted to the applicant under Part III of the Road Traffic Act 1972 authorising him/her to drive a motor car for at least 24 months prior to the date of the application
  • he/she must pass a police criminality check carried out by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) to ensure safety to the public. (Not every conviction would prevent a licence being granted. Please see contact details for obtaining our policy guidelines).

An application form can be obtained using the contact details on the right hand side of the page. Once the form has been completed, you need to visit our offices, bringing with you the following documentation:

  • the completed application form
  • your DVLA driving licence (original - not a photocopy) showing your current address
  • your passport or birth certificate (if not available, five other types of identification with your name and address, not less than three months old)
  • two colour passport type photographs taken within the last month
  • one large colour photograph of head and shoulders only, measuring five by four inches
  • fee for the CRB check
  • evidence you are registered with HM Revenue and Customs as self-employed

Applications will not be accepted without production of the above.

The medical form does not have to be completed at this stage. You may wait until the necessary checks have been returned to us and you have passed your test on Watford street layout. It is worth noting that, should you decide to withdraw your application for whatever reason, the fee paid by you to your GP is non-refundable. Therefore, it is entirely up to you to decide at which point during the application process that you have the medical.

Upon production of the forms at the licensing office, you will be asked to complete an additional form to enable us to check with the Criminal Records Bureau for any records held against you. Please be aware that we normally allow approximately up to eight weeks from receipt of your application for return of these checks as this is the average time that they take. We also conduct a check with the DVLA.

Once your application has been accepted and the fee has been paid, we will send you details of the driving test conducted by the Driving Standards Agency and knowledge test (details in the application pack).

The Council issues dual licences for three years, allowing you to drive private hire vehicles and hackney carriages.

For more information

ehl@watford.gov.uk