Driver licence FAQs - general information

A driver licence allows you to drive licensed hackney carriage and/or private hire vehicles.

The main purpose of licensing drivers is to protect the public. The council must be satisfied that drivers are safe, suitable, properly checked, and able to carry passengers responsibly. The policies describe taxi drivers as having significant responsibility because passengers place their personal safety in the driver’s hands.

There are two main types of driver licence:

• a dual licence, which allows you to drive both hackney carriage and private hire vehicles;
• a private hire driver licence, which allows you to drive private hire vehicles only.

A hackney carriage can usually be hired straight away, including from a taxi rank or by being hailed in the street.

A private hire vehicle must be booked in advance through a licensed private hire operator. A private hire driver must not pick up passengers who have not pre-booked.

You must:

• have the right to work in the United Kingdom;
• have held a United Kingdom driving licence for at least three years;
• be over 21;
• have passed the Worcestershire Taxi and Private Hire Competency Certificate;
• be considered a ‘fit and proper person’ by the council.

This means that the council must be satisfied that you are suitable and safe to be licensed as a driver.

The policies use a simple test: would the decision-maker allow someone they care about to travel alone in a vehicle driven by this person, at any time of day or night? If the answer is no, the person should not be licensed.

For a new driver application, you will usually need to provide:

• a completed application form;
• your Worcestershire Taxi and Private Hire Competency Certificate;
• an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service certificate;
• proof that you have subscribed to the Disclosure and Barring Service Update Service;
• a valid Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency licence check code;
• proof of your right to work in the United Kingdom;
• a recent passport-style photograph;
• the application fee;
• the council’s medical fitness certificate.

It is a certificate that shows you have the knowledge and skills needed to be licensed as a taxi or private hire driver.

To get the certificate, applicants must complete a one-day training and assessment course and a practical driving assessment. The training covers English language, numeracy, taxi and private hire law and policy, practical driving, safeguarding, equalities, disability awareness, and customer care.

See: Worcestershire Taxi and Private Hire Competency Certificate 

Yes.

The practical driving assessment forms part of the Worcestershire Taxi and Private Hire Competency Certificate.

You will need to pass a local knowledge test if you want to drive hackney carriage vehicles.

This is because hackney carriage drivers need to know the local area well enough to take passengers safely and efficiently to their destination.

If you need to take a local knowledge test, you will be contacted to arrange one after you have submitted your application.

Yes.

New driver applicants must provide an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service certificate and proof that they have subscribed to the Disclosure and Barring Service Update Service.

The certificate must be issued specifically for the position of taxi driver, and specify the 'other' workforce (not 'child', 'adult', or 'adult and child' workforce).

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Update Service allows the council to check whether there has been any change to the status of your DBS certificate while you remain licensed.

This helps the council monitor whether any new criminal history information has been recorded since your certificate was issued. It is part of the ongoing checks used to make sure that licensed drivers remain suitable to hold a hackney carriage and/or private hire driver licence.

Licensed drivers must stay subscribed to the DBS Update Service and must give consent for the council to carry out update checks. These checks do not show the council the full details of any new information. They only confirm whether the certificate remains current or whether new information may now be held.

If an update check shows that new information may be available, you may need to apply for a new DBS certificate so that the council can assess whether the new information affects your suitability to remain licensed.

A driver who fails to stay subscribed to the DBS Update Service, or fails to co-operate with getting a new certificate when required, may be reviewed to decide whether they remain a fit and proper person. This could lead to suspension or revocation of the licence.

If you have lived outside the United Kingdom for three or more continuous months after turning 18, you must usually provide criminal record information or a certificate of good character from each country where you lived.

The council will not licence someone who appears on either the children’s barred list or the adults’ barred list kept by the Disclosure and Barring Service.

The council uses the check code to check your driving licence record. This can include your licence status, endorsements, and penalty points.

You must meet the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Group 2 medical standard.

This is the higher medical standard used for professional drivers, including bus and lorry drivers. The policies say the council will not issue a driver licence to anyone who does not meet this standard.

The council’s prescribed medical fitness certificate must be completed by a registered medical practitioner with access to your medical records and history.

If you are applying to Redditch Borough Council, the medical practitioner must be approved by the council. You can request more information by emailing enquiries@worcsregservices.gov.uk.

You need to provide a medical certificate when applying for a new licence.

For renewals, you usually need a medical certificate when you renew for the first time after reaching the ages of 45, 50, 55, or 60. Once you reach 65, you usually need to provide a medical certificate with each renewal. Some policies describe this as an annual requirement once the licence holder reaches 65.

The council may consider:

• whether you have met the application requirements;
• information from your Disclosure and Barring Service certificate;
• information from the Disclosure and Barring Service Update Service checks;
• information from the police;
• your Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency driving licence record;
• your medical fitness certificate;
• information from the National Register of Refusals and Revocations;
• complaints or other information about you.

The National Register of Refusals and Revocations records cases where taxi and private hire driver licences have been refused or revoked.

Applicants and licence holders must disclose whether they hold, or have previously held, a licence with another authority, and whether they have had an application refused or a licence suspended or revoked. Councils check applicants against the register.

You must tell the council.

The council may ask the other authority for more information and will consider that information when deciding whether you are suitable to be licensed. If you have previously had an application refused, or a licence suspended or revoked, the application may need to be considered by the relevant committee or sub-committee.

Penalty points do not automatically mean your application will be refused.

Policy generally allows officers to grant an application where the applicant has no more than six current penalty points, provided there are no other suitability concerns. If you have more than six points, the application cannot normally be decided by officers and may need to be referred for a committee or sub-committee decision.

The application may need to be considered in more detail.

In general, officers cannot decide the application themselves if the Disclosure and Barring Service certificate shows more than one previous conviction or caution, or if a single conviction or caution is too recent when compared with the council’s convictions guidelines. The application may then be referred to the relevant committee or sub-committee.

Usually, no.

The policies say that financial and other personal circumstances are not taken into account when deciding whether a person is fit and proper to hold a driver licence.

Driver licences are normally issued for three years.

A shorter licence may be issued where the council thinks this is appropriate, or where required, for example if your right to remain in the United Kingdom is time-limited.