Apply for a taxi or private hire licence

Introduction

Welcome to our new ‘Hackney Carriage Driver New Application' page. This page outlines our new application process from 9th April 2018 and is intended for customers that do not currently hold a Hackney Carriage Driver Licence with Reigate & Banstead BC. The application process is mapped out for you below and is broken down into an easy to follow 9 Stage process. We strongly advise you read and follow all the information on this page before proceeding with your application. You will find all the information you may need to assist with your application on our licensing webpages.  

Responding to numerous individual requests for status updates on applications is currently impacting on our ability to process and issue licences as quickly as we would like. Please allow at least 6 weeks for your application to be processed before you contact us to chase or ask for an update. If we need to get in touch to clarify or request anything, we will do so. In the meantime you may wish to refer to the comprehensive information on the application process available on this website. Fewer enquiries will allow us to process licences more quickly.

Important Note: Our application process is changing early 2024. The changes will require drivers to submit all their relevant documents 'up front' at the time of their applications. This is aimed to make the overall application process simpler and quicker for our drivers. 

This Application Process has 8 stages.

Stage 1: Read and understand our ''Who can apply for a licence?'' webpage and other relevant Licensing webpages.

We have put extensive information regarding the licensing process, our fees, our policies and condition on our webpages to help our customers. We strongly advise all customers to read and understand our licensing webpages relevant to your application before proceeding to apply for a licence.

When you are content that you meet our licensing requirements, as outlined on our 'Who can apply for a licence page' and would like to apply to be a Hackney Carriage Driver (not already a Driver with us) then proceed to Stage 2.

Stage 2: Check you have the required information, documents and means of making payment before commencing you application.  

In Stage 3 you will make your online application and payment to us via a webform hosted by a company called Idox. Please note that there is no means to save your application part way through, so you need to ensure you have sufficient time to fully complete your application - 30 minutes should be sufficient. You will need to have the following to hand before starting your application.

1. DVLA Driving Licence.
2. Access to a valid email address and account.
3. Means of making an online payment by credit or debit card (with the permission of the cardholder to do so, if it is not your card).
4. Your National Insurance Number.
5. Know which operator you will be working for. 
6. Evidence of your Right to Work in the United Kingdom e.g. Passport, share code etc.
7. Details of any past and current motoring offences, previous convictions from the UK and abroad, and any matters pending. You should not withhold any details (this includes spent convictions) when applying to be a taxi or private hire driver. 
8. If you have lived abroad for 6 continuous months of more since the age of 16 you will be required to provide a criminal record check from the country / countries visited covering the period or a certificate of good conduct authenticated by the relevant embassy.
9. Information on any medical condition that shows you can meet the DVLA Group 2 guidelines e.g. the medical condition, medication you are taking, and results of any tests required etc.
10. Passport sized photograph.
11. Complete a tax check.

Stage 3: Complete your online application form to become a New Hackney Carriage Driver 

Please ensure you have read Stages 1 and 2 above and familiarised yourself with the content on our licensing webpages that may be relevant to your application. When you are satisfied that you meet the requirements to become a licensed Hackney Carriage driver with this Authority, click on the green button below to make your Hackney Carriage New Driver Application. This application form is for new and not renewing drivers. 

Please be aware as of 1 April 2022, all applicants will have their details checked against the National register of hackney carriages and private hire driver licence refusals and revocations.

Make a Hackney Carriage New Driver Application

Note the form currently has provision to enter only one previous licence. Please provide details of the most recent and you must then email the licensing department within 24 hours of your application submission with further details of any other licences that have been refused, revoked or suspended (if any).

When you have submitted your application, you will receive a confirmation email. To progress your licence application please see the steps below and the 'Important Information on How to Progress Your Application' button below. 

Important Information On How to Progress Your Application

Note as part of your application you will need to supply either electronically or in hard copy a passport sized photograph of yourself, and this photograph will be used on your driver badge.

Stage 4: Hackney Carriage Knowledge Test

To become a new Hackney Carriage driver you are required to pass a knowledge test.

Once you have completed your online application (Stage 3) to become a Hackney Carriage Driver with us and received your confirmation email, you will be contacted by an officer who will confirm a date and time when the test will take place at the Town Hall, Reigate.  Please follow this link for more information on the Knowledge Test.

Stage 5: Complete your Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) checks

DBS Check

The online application for an Enhanced DBC check can be completed via the disclosure portal hosted by First Advantage. To do this, you must follow the steps below

Create your account

1. Access the website

2. Below 'User Login' heading click the 3rd option 'Register'

3. You will then land on the page headed 'Self Registration' where you should enter the following details before clicking to confirm 'I am not a robot'

Organisation ID	ORG-ZEF4BQ5R
Access Code	Reigate16 [do not include any spaces]
Email	Complete your own email details

4. On the next page, tick to confirm Reigate and Banstead is your organisation. Complete your first and last name and create your own password, then click 'Register'

 You will now have an account under KnowYourPeople and can login on the link at 1 above to make your application

1. At 'Username' type in your email and Password used to create your account then click 'Login'

2. From the Dashboard you can now 'Create a new application' following the instruction on the website. The instructions will tell you what information and documents you need, and how to pay the fee. You can return to your account anytime, but after completing your application you will need to print the barcode provided and take your original identification documents to a Post Office that offers the verification service. The link to the Post office website will help you find your nearest one (note an additional fee is payable to the Post office for this service).

 DBS Update Service

The Council will shortly require all new drivers, and those renewing their DBS to sign up to the Update service so that 6 monthly DBS checks can be made as required by the Department for Transport statutory standards. Your certificate must be for an Enhanced DBS where the 'Position applied for' is 'Other workforce' AND 'Taxi/Private Hire Driver'

You must register and pay for this service within 30 days of your certificate being issued, and maintain the annual fee. In the long run this service also works out cheaper and will avoid delays at licence renewals. We will need to see a copy of the original certificate issued prior to you signing up for the service. Further details can be found at GovUK DBS Update Service.

If you choose not to subscribe to the update service you will need to carry out a new check every 6 months and may have your licence suspended until the results are received.

DVLA Check

Once we have processed your application, in the LicenceCheck system, you will receive an email from Davis. Remember to regularly check your junk emails so you don't miss important emails associated with your application. Follow the instructions in the email which will allow the Council to verify and view your driver record at the DVLA.

Stage 6: Successfully Complete Online Safeguard Training Course (provided by Barnardos).

Please click on the green button below for further information on what you must do to successfully complete the required training course as a 'New Driver'.  A Course fee of £18 is payable direct to Barnardos.

Safeguard Training Course

Upon Successful completion of the training course you will need to provide a copy of your certificate. This can be done either via email, at a knowledge test or at one of our document drop in sessions. 

Stage 7: Supply the following  

A- Medical

Only a Reigate & Banstead BC medical report completed in full by a GP from the medical practice you are registered at, will be accepted by this Authority: 

Medical Report Form

Please note, In addition to supplying a completed Medical Form, all applicants with diabetes mellitus which is controlled with Insulin or manged by the way of tablets that carry a risk of inducing hypoglycaemia, are required to provide a declaration form regarding their diabetes mellitus. Please email licensing@reigate-banstead.gov.uk to request a 'Diabetes Declaration Form'. 

Your doctor may charge you for the cost of completing the medical report. The report must be completed in full and be stamped/signed and dated by the GP. If questions are not answered fully or information is omitted and boxes not ticked, this could delay your application and you may have to go back to your GP. Before submitting a copy of your medical report, please check it is completed fully and read the instructions on the form carefully. If a medical condition is identified, please ensure that this is explained fully in Section 8 of the medical report and that the box in Section 9 is completed by your GP. 

Please send a copy of your completed medical report with your applicant reference written on the front either:

• by email to licensing@reigate-banstead.gov.uk with 'driver medical' and your applicant reference number in the subject line;
• by post to Licensing Department, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 0SH;
• by dropping into our reception; or
• at the time of your Knowledge Test.

There is no need to wait at a document drop in session just to provide a copy of your medical. You can supply a copy of your medical report, however you must keep the original document for the duration of your licence. If you supply the original report to us, we recommend you take a copy as we will not return it and it may go missing. The Licensing Authority reserve the right to request to have sight of the original document at any time during the application process and throughout the duration of your licence held with this Authority.

Please Note: It is the duty of you as the licence holder to inform us if you are undergoing treatment or have a medical condition that may now, or in the future, affect your safety as a driver. Please inform us in writing and supply supporting medical reports / letters.

B- Passport Style Photo

Please send us a copy of your passport style photo with your full name clearly written on the back or included in a cover email:

• by email to licensing@reigate-banstead.gov.uk with 'driver photo' and your name and applicant reference number (if known) in the subject line;
• by post to Licensing Department, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 0SH; or
• by dropping into our reception.

C- Right To Work in the UK

All drivers must show us the original document(s) that demonstrate they have the right to work in the UK e.g. passport or biometric card. This is a requirement of The Immigration Act 2016.

We need to check this once after 1 December 2016 (and repeatedly for those who have limited permission to be in the UK and work until such time as they can demonstrate that they are entitled to remain indefinitely in the UK).

If you do not have British or Irish citizenship (including ‘dual citizenship’), or indefinite leave to remain, you may need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme by 30 June 2021 to continue living or working in the UK. Applicants to the Scheme must have arrived in the UK by 31 December 2020.   

Stage 8: Become a Licensed Hackney Carriage Driver with Reigate & Banstead BC

Once all enquiries have been completed, you have passed your Knowledge Test and we are satisfied that you are a fit and proper person to hold a Hackney Carriage driver licence with this Authority, we will finalise your application. After an administration processing period we will be able to create your licence and badges. This processing period varies depending on applicant numbers so we are unable to advise on specific timescales. Your licence and badge will be posted to the address we hold on your driver file. 

We strongly advise our drivers upon receipt of their licence to diarise their expiry dates in their phones and calendars etc.  It is your responsibility as a licensed Hackney Carriage driver to ensure that your current licence is valid and that any renewal application is started in plenty of time.