Taxi licensing and safety

Email: taxilicensing@tandridge.gov.uk

How to submit a complaint regarding a vehicle or driver to the taxi licensing department:

Complaints must be made in writing. The following is helpful for our investigations:

• Identifying the driver by name or badge number.
• Identifying the vehicle by plate number or vehicle registration.
• Note the time, date and place of the journey.
• For overcharging complaints, record the fare shown on meter (for Hackney carriages only).

Please complete our complaint form or write to the Taxi Licensing Department, Council Offices, 8 Station Road East, Oxted, Surrey RH8 0BT.

Hackney carriage

A Hackney carriage (taxi) can be hired from a taxi rank, flagged down or hired immediately without pre-booking and they can also be pre-booked. Journeys that are not pre-booked have to begin in the Tandridge district.

The vehicle must have a roof sign and fare meter fitted. A light blue licence plate must be displayed on the rear of the vehicle and in the front windscreen. The driver must have their Hackney carriage licence badge displayed.

A Hackney carriage driver's licence means the driver may drive a Tandridge licensed Hackney carriage or Private hire vehicle. Both the vehicle and the driver must have a licence issued by us.

Fares are restricted to the maximum table of fares, which we regulate. This table of fares should be inside of all licensed Hackney carriage vehicles.

Private hire

A Private hire must be pre-booked through an operator, they cannot be hired from a taxi rank, flagged down or hired immediately without pre-booking. Journeys can start or end anywhere, they do not have to be inside the district.

The vehicle must not have a roof sign. An orange licence plate must be displayed on the rear and in the front windscreen (unless they are for executive purpose that exempt from displaying the plates, then the plate and exemption are held within the vehicle). The driver must have their Private hire licence badge displayed.

A Private hire driver's licence means the driver may drive a Tandridge licensed Private hire vehicle, they cannot drive a Hackney carriage. The vehicle, driver and the operator must have a licence issued by us. A Private hire operator's licence is required for any pre-booked work, the operator must be based within the Tandridge district. Private hire operator licences can be individually held or held by a company the driver works for.

We do not regulate fares for the hire of Private hire vehicles and they must be the subject of agreement between passenger and operator before a journey commences.

• Check your driver is wearing an identification badge we have issued. It will show their name, a licence number and a photographer of the driver.
• If the vehicle is on the taxi rank, check the car has a taxi sign on the roof and a light blue licence plate on the rear and in the front windscreen.
• If the vehicle is Private hire, check the car has orange licence plates on the rear and in the front windscreen.
• All doors should remain unlocked when the taxi is carrying passengers.
• If you are at all suspicious, don't get in, make a note of the number plate and report it.

Hackney carriage taxi ranks

The fare meter must be started at the beginning of the journey and should be clearly visible to passengers at all times. The meter is set to the maximum table of fares.

In Tandridge, taxi ranks can be found at:

• Station Road East, Oxted.
• Station Road West, Oxted.
• Station Road, Lingfield.
• Station Approach, Warlingham.
• Station Road, Caterham.
• Harestone Valley Road, Caterham.

Wheelchair users

Tandridge District Council supports and encourages all licensed taxi drivers to pay particular regard to the needs of the travelling public. Drivers should provide assistance to people in wheelchairs, carry them in safety and not charge extra for doing so. Tandridge licensed taxi drivers will carry guide, hearing and other prescribed assistance dogs in their taxis without additional charge. Drivers who have a medical condition which is aggravated by exposure to dogs will display an exemption badge on their windscreen.

Wheelchair accessible vehicles can be pre-booked by some of the Private hire operators and taxi proprietors. The Private hire licensed operators in Tandridge that may be able to provide wheelchair accessible vehicles can be contacted on the following number:

• Westerham Cars: 01959 562091

Please read our documents:

• Licensing Policy for Hackney Carriage and Private Hire
• Medical Examination Report form
• Taxi licensing fees April 2024 - March 2025

Applications for a Hackney carriage or Private Hire driver licence must be fully completed within 4 months of submission of the application form or any of the supporting documents. If more than 4 months passes, a new application and fee must be submitted. Once an application is opened no fees are refundable. No fees are pro rata.

The applicant must have held a DVLA driving licence for 1 year or more. Where an applicant has 7 or more points on their DVLA licence for minor traffic or similar offences, a licence will not be granted until at least 5 years have elapsed since the completion of any sentence imposed.

The applicant must be a 'fit and proper person' - which means their background and character will be checked. The licensing department will look at medical fitness, driving record and criminal record.

The process for Hackney carriage and Private hire drivers is the same, the applicant will need to do the following steps to complete the new driver application:

Step 1: Read the Licensing Policy

Before opening an application, the applicant must read the Licensing Policy for Hackney Carriage and Private Hire. The applicant will be required to declare they have read and understood this document when opening an application. If the applicant fails to meet any of the criteria in this document, they may not be granted a licence and their full application may be referred to Committee to be determined.

If the applicant has any criminal history regardless of age or country, this should be discussed with an Officer before applying.

If the applicant has any medical conditions and may not meet the Group 2 Medical standard, the applicant should refer to this guidance, ‘Assessing fitness to drive’, before applying.

Step 2: New driver application and new application fee

• Hackney carriage & Private hire driver licence application.

The applicant is to complete the driver application form and return by e-mail to taxilicensing@tandridge.gov.uk with copy of valid passport, DVLA driving licence and any work permit/visa.

Once the application form has been received and reviewed, an officer will contact the applicant to make the initial payment of £281.00 and to book in a new driver appointment.

Step 3: Certificate of good conduct

If you have resided outside of the United Kingdom for more than 3 months at any time since the age of 10 years old, an authenticated certificate of good conduct from the relevant embassy will be required. All certificates of good conduct must be submitted in English or accompanied by a translation by a certified translator.

Step 4: Taxi driver assessment

The applicant will need to complete the ‘Taxi Driver Assessment’ with the Blue Lamp Trust.

The assessment lasts 1 hour consisting of a driving licence and eyesight check, a 45 minute driving assessment across a variety of road types and a debrief. Each candidate will be asked 2 ‘show me / tell me’ questions. During the assessment drive they will be asked to perform 2 reversing manoeuvres, possibly an emergency stop and to drive independently of direction for a 10 minute period following road signs and directions to a particular destination.

A high level of driving competence is required. To pass you must have no serious or dangerous driving faults and no more than 9 driving faults.

Successful candidates will be issued with a copy of their marking sheet and certificate, this will need to be provided to the licensing department.

Step 5: Safeguarding Adults and Child Sexual Exploitation online training

The applicant will need to complete the Safeguarding & child Sexual exploitation training online. By completing this course, the applicant will attain a certificate of completion, this will need to be provided to the licensing department.

Step 6: Disability Awareness Online Training

The applicant will need to complete the Disability Awareness Virtual Classroom Course online. By completing this course, the applicant will attain a certificate of completion, this will need to be provided to the licensing department.

Step 7: Medical examination report

The applicant will need to have a medical examination report form completed by the applicants own GP where they are registered and they must have full medical history. If the medical is completed by another practice or company, it will be refused.

Until the grant of a licence, the medical is only valid for 3 months, if more than 3 months has passed and the process for a licence has not been complete, a new medical will need to be provided.

Please check the Assessing fitness to drive document before paying for the medical, the licensing department apply the DVLA group 2 standard, the same as bus, coach and lorry drivers.

Step 8: New driver appointment with a Licensing officer

This appointment is for the applicant to provide the original documents above and for the applicant and officer to go through the remaining steps to apply. This will include:

1. identity check and right to work check
2. DVLA driver licence check
3. knowledge test
4. DBS application
5. the national register of refused or revoked taxi licence check.

This appointment will be in the Council Offices in Oxted and can take up to 2 hours.

The applicant must bring their:

• Original valid passport (or other photo ID)
• DVLA driver licence with their current address
• If required, any right to work permit or visa such as their biometric residence permit
• A bank statement (no older than 3 months) or Council tax statement (no older than 1 year) with their current name and address on

a. Identity check and right to work check

The applicant’s original documents and right to work will be checked by an officer.

b. DVLA driving licence check

The applicant must have held their driving licence for 1 year or more. The applicant will need to share driving licence information for the licensing department to view their driving licence record. The share code should be included on the driver application form.

c. Knowledge test

The applicant will be required to sit a 40 minute multiple choice test is required comprising of 40 questions.  This will take place in a meeting room in reception at the Council Offices in Oxted.

The applicant will need to answer the following to obtain a pass certificate: 24 questions correctly out of 32 for the local area, 3 questions correctly out of 4 for the Highway Code and 3 questions correctly out of 4 for the Tandridge District Council procedures.

The cost for this is £86.00, and each retest thereafter is £47.00

The guide Tandridge official guide and street plan available on our website may be of assistance, this is not definitive to what may be asked in the knowledge test. The knowledge test is to determine the applicant’s overall knowledge of the local area.

An applicant may not sit the test more than 3 times in any 12 month period commencing on the date of their first test.

d. Enhanced DBS certificate

The licensing department will setup the applicant to apply for an enhanced DBS before the appointment. A link will be sent to the applicants email address to begin the DBS application by selecting the documents they can provide.

A payment of £60.00 is required to the licensing department.

e. National register of refused or revoked taxi licence check

Where drivers have been licensed with other authorities, we will carry out checks with those authorities for any information that may be relevant to the application being considered.

In addition, officers will use the National Anti-Fraud Network’s national register of taxi and Private hire vehicle driver licence refusals and revocations (known as ‘NR3’), to share information and mitigate the risk of non-disclosure of relevant information by applicants.

Step 9: DBS update service

Once the Enhanced DBS certificate is issued, all drivers must either sign up to the ‘DBS update service’, this is currently £13 per year or it will be a requirement to apply for an enhanced DBS every 6 months.

Step 10: Driver licence and badge

For the issue of the driver licence and the badge, a ‘passport sized’ photograph of the applicant and the licence fee must be provided.

The passport sized photograph of the applicant must be up to date and a true likeness.

The licence fees are as follows:

• Hackney carriage and Private hire (dual) drivers licence and badge costs£391.50 for a 3 year licence
• Private Hire (only) drivers licence and badge costs £285.00 for a 3 year licence

Step 11: Driver application determination

Once all of the above has been completed, the licensing department review the whole application. If there is any query of the applicant being ‘fit and proper’, the whole application will be referred to the Committee who will determine the application, whether to grant or refuse. If the application is refused, this will be recorded on the National register of refused and revoked taxi driver licences. No fees will be refundable.

A high standard is expected for all licensed vehicles. On applying for a vehicle licence, the vehicle must have a MOT that has been carried out within 28 days of the application. The vehicle will then be required to have a MOT at 6 months from the grant date for under 8 year old vehicles or every 4 months for vehicles over 8 years.

The vehicle and all its fittings and equipment shall at all times, when the vehicle is in use or available for hire, be kept in an efficient, safe, tidy and clean condition with all relevant statutory requirement. Accidents, however small, must be reported to the Licensing Department within 72 hours by completing the Accident report form.

To apply, the following documents needs to be provided:

• Hackney carriage and Private hire vehicle application form.
• Vehicle logbook (All pages).
• Insurance certificate (including correct cover – e.g. Private hire or Public Hire/Hackney carriage).
• MOT certificate that has been issued within 28 days.
• Proof of road tax.
• Meter calibration certificate (for Hackney carriage only).

A vehicle licence is issued for 1 year, and the licence will need to be renewed annually. The payment for vehicle licences are:

• Hackney carriage vehicle licence costs £440.00 for 1 year
• Private hire vehicle licence costs £363.50 for 1 year

There is 25% discount on these fees for wheelchair accessible vehicles.

The vehicle must comply with the conditions of the licence, these are details in Appendix A and B of the policy.

Once licensed, the vehicle is always a licensed vehicle until the licence expires, is surrendered or suspended. Only a licensed driver can drive the vehicle during the licence period. The plates must not be removed from the vehicle for the duration of the licence.

Anyone who wants to accept Private hire bookings must be licensed as a Private hire operator. By using a licensed operator, passengers can have confidence that the driver and vehicle are also licensed by us.

A Private hire operator licence may only be granted if the council is satisfied that the applicant and any other associates:

• is fit and proper to hold such a licence; and
• is an individual, he/she is not disqualified by reason of their immigration status from operating a Private hire vehicle.

To ensure this, all individuals that are part of the business must have an immigration check and a DBS check which is not more than 6 months old.

Private hire operator bases must be within the district of Tandridge. If it is based within another local authority, the operator should apply to them.

To operate a Private hire company, you may need to apply for planning permission. You will need to seek independent advice on this. You may need this even if your business is run from home, to make sure that it will not cause nuisance or obstruction to your neighbours. If your operator base is open to the public, you must have public liability insurance for the premises.

The operators name cannot be the same or very similar to others licensed within the district.

Please submit the operators application form with the DBS and identification and make the payment with the relevant fee. The fees are as follows:

• £300.00 for a 1 year licence
• £1,500.00 for a 5 year licence

Once a Private hire operator licence is issued, the operator and employees must comply with keeping records as outlined in the conditions on the licence.

The law requires an operator to be licensed by the same authority which licences the Private hire vehicles and Private hire drivers working within their control, thus a vehicle licensed by one authority can only ever be driven by a driver licensed by that same authority; both must be subject to the control of an operator licensed by that same authority.

Bookings for the services of licensed vehicles can be sub-contracted, however they remain the responsibility of the licensed operator which accepted the booking. Even if they are sub-contracted to another operator; from 1 October 2015 the legislation has been amended to permit the operator accepting a booking to sub-contract it to any other operator, wherever they are based. But the liability for the provision of those services remains with the original operator. In this case, the second operator, the vehicle fulfilling that booking and the driver of that vehicle must all be licensed by the same (second) authority.

If a licence holder or applicant changes their name, address, contact details including telephone number or email address, or change the operator they work for during the term of their licence or whilst their application is pending, they must inform the licensing department in writing within 7 days.

If a licence holder has any change in medical condition that could affect their driving capabilities, they must inform the licensing department in writing within 7 days.

A licence holder or applicant must notify the licensing department in writing within 48 hours of an arrest and release, charge or conviction of any sexual offence, any offence involving dishonesty or violence and any motoring offence, including penalty points on their DVLA driver licence.

If a licence holder has an accident in their licensed vehicle, they must inform the licensing department in writing within 72 hours in writing by submitting the Accident report form.