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South Norfolk Council Combined Private Hire and Hackney Carriage Driver Licence

To drive a hackney carriage or private hire vehicle in Broadland or South Norfolk you must hold a valid combined Private Hire/Hackney Carriage driver licence issued by us.

Who can apply?

You can apply to become a Private Hire/Hackney Carriage driver if you:

· Are over 21 years old;

· Have held a full DVLA driving licence for at least 12 months;

· Are able to work legally in the UK; and

· You are a ‘fit and proper person’ to hold a licence. This means your background and character will be checked. For further information please see the Council’s Private Hire and Hackney Carriage Policy and Conditions booklet.

Applying for a licence

Before making an application you will need to answer a series of questions to ensure you are eligible to apply. If you are eligible you will be provided with a reference number to enable you to apply online for your licence.

Once an officer has confirmed you are eligible to apply for a licence and you have been provided with your reference number, as part of your application you will need to arrange:

· a medical assessment completed by your own GP, D4 Drivers or Healthwork (a copy of the medical assessment will be provided to you once you have completed the pre-application form)

· A DBS form (a blank DBS form will be sent to you in the post once you have completed the pre-application form – this cannot be applied for online)

Before applying please ensure the documents as listed below are available and ready to upload. Any missing documents or incorrect information will delay the processing of your application.

1. British or Irish passport, UK or Irish birth certificate and your national insurance number, or proof of your right to work and reside in the United Kingdom (right to work share code).
2. The front and back of your current Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) photocard licence, registered to your current address. This must be a colour image. If you only have a paper licence, then that should be uploaded instead. You must have held a Full valid UK DVLA licence for a minimum period of twelve months before making an application.
3. A completed First Advantage mandate to enable a check to be carried out on your DVLA driving licence.
4. A current colour passport-style photograph of you as either a jpg or jpeg file.
5. A satisfactory current Group 2 DVLA Standard Medical. You may only obtain the Group 2 standard medical from a General Practitioner (GP) at your registered surgery or D4 Drivers/Healthwork with a copy of your medical record summary before completing the assessment. Medical questionnaires completed by any other GP without access to your records will be rejected.
6. Proof that you meet the English language requirements. If you cannot provide evidence, you will be booked to complete a Council approved English language assessment upon receipt of your application.
7. Certificate of good conduct. This applies only if you have lived outside of the UK for three months or more since the age of 18. You must provide the Council with an original certificate of good conduct from the country or countries you lived in during this time.
8. A certificate to confirm you have completed the approved taxi driving assessment.
9. A certificate to confirm you have completed the approved disability awareness training (theory (and practical where relevant)).
10. HMRC tax code. If applying for the same type of licence you previously held with Broadland/South Norfolk or a different authority, which expired less than 12 months ago, you must input a tax check code when requested in the online application.

Once you have completed these you may submit an application online here:

Once you have completed the online application form, you will need to book an appointment to bring your application into the council offices to:

· Arrange an enhanced criminal record check with the Disclosure and Barring Service. You will need to produce three ID documents to confirm your identity.

· Arrange a Right to Work check to confirm you are able to work in the UK

· Book onto the next available Safeguarding Training session

· Book onto the English language assessment if required

Renewing a Combined Private Hire and Hackney Carriage Driver Licence

If you already hold a Combined Private Hire and Hackney Carriage Drivers Licence with Broadland or South Norfolk Council you will be sent a renewal text 2 to 3 months before your licence is due to expire. This text will contain a link to the driver renewal application form. You will also be sent a blank DBS form and also a medical certificate to take to your own GP, D4 Drivers or Healthwork to complete.

If you do not receive the renewal text please email the Licensing Team to request this is re-sent to you.

Renewing your Licence

As part of your application you will need to arrange

• A satisfactory current Group 2 DVLA Standard Medical. You may only obtain the Group 2 standard medical from a General Practitioner (GP) at your registered surgery or D4 Drivers/Healthwork with a copy of your medical record summary before completing the assessment. Medical questionnaires completed by any other GP without access to your records will be rejected.
• Disability Awareness Training (if not already completed)

Once you have completed the online application form, you will need to book an appointment to bring your application into the council offices to arrange:

· An enhanced criminal record check with the Disclosure and Barring Service. You will need to produce three ID documents to confirm your identity.

· A Right to Work check to confirm you are able to work in the UK (where applicable)

Combined Hackney Carriage/Private Hire Drivers now need to provide a tax share code. It is your responsibility to obtain and provide the tax share code to the Licensing Team

It is strongly recommended you apply to renew your licence at least 4 weeks prior to the expiry to allow time for the required checks to be processed. If the checks carried out with the DVLA and the DBS are not received by the Licensing Team before the licence expiry date, you will be unable to work until they are received and your renewed licence has been issued.

When your application has been accepted as complete we will then send off your DBS check for completion. The DBS will return the disclosure certificate directly to you. Once you receive this you will need to photograph/scan the certificate in full and email it to the Licensing Team before your licence can be issued.

If you subscribe to the DBS update service, please contact the Licensing Team so we can confirm that you are registered for the correct checks and sign the necessary consent form.