Licensed applications

All Hackney Carriage and Private Hire vehicles in Teignbridge that carry passengers in return for payment must be licenced by us.

Every driver that works in a licensed vehicle must also be licensed by us. A licensed driver must wear a photographic identity badge at all times when they are working.

We are required under the Local Accountability Act 2014 to participate in the National Fraud Initiative (NFI) data matching exercise. This means that personal licence data will be provided to the Cabinet Office for NFI and will be used for cross-system and cross-authority comparison purposes for the prevention and detection of fraud.

Requirements

• you must be over 21 and have held a DVLA licence for at least 12 months
• an Immigration status check will be carried out. List of acceptable documents for right to licence
• you are required to have a Disclosure & Barring check (DBS) formerly known as criminal records bureau check (CRB). This is carried out online so you must provide an email address
• please read this medical information before booking your medical appointment. Attend a medical examination and provide the completed medical report. This is to be carried out by someone who has access to your full medical history.  If being carried out by a medical practitioner, the driver must first obtain their ‘medical summary’ from their own GP surgery and ensure that this is taken to the medical assessment appointment, along with photographic identification.  You will also require the medical confirmation to be completed by the doctor or medical practitioner who carried out your examination.
• If you take insulin please provide a letter from your consultant, to show that you meet the Group 2 medical standard and are safe to carry fee paying passenger(s).
• provide a recent passport-sized photograph of yourself
• you must attend disability awareness training at the council offices
• you must pass a Driving Assessment Test for Private Hire/Hackney Carriage before making your application

Medicals

First on application, then from age 45 - every five years, from age 65 - annually.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check

For the DBS check you will need to provide three forms of ID from the following:

• birth certificate
• current driving licence. If your driving licence does not show your current address, a proof of current address is required eg. utility bill, bank or building society statement, TV Licence
• current passport (if you have one)
• National Insurance Card or P60
• marriage certificate 

A minimum of three forms of identity are required for the DBS check, please note two utility bills only counts as one form of identity. If you do not have the evidence of identity as stated or you require any further assistance please contact the licensing team. Please visit ID checking guidelines for further information.

If you have lived abroad you may need to apply for a 'Certificate of Good Conduct' from your Embassy, please refer to Item 4.4 in our licensing policy. A copy of the policy can be obtained by contacting the licensing team.

A fee is payable for your application and for the DBS. Please see the fees and charges for more details.

Once your DBS certificate has been issued all new applicants and existing drivers will be required to subscribe to the DBS update service within 30 days of the date of issue of the certificate. There is a fee, this is set by the DBS and may be subject to change, but is currently £13 per year. If the subscription remains up-to-date, you will not be required to complete another DBS application, unless there are changes to your criminal record status. If the subscription lapses a new DBS application must be completed. You must retain your DBS Certificate once it has been issued.

You will be required to give consent for the Licensing team to be nominated as an authority to view your DBS certificate status during the life of your licence. Should your DBS certificate status change, you will be required to apply for a new DBS certificate within 48 hours. Should a new DBS be required, the relevant licence may be suspended to safeguard the public.