RESEARCHED AUTHORITY
Ashford
Ashford Borough Council · Sources checked 13 September 2026
- Driver licensing
- Official route/source found
Use the new application form required since1March2026. Full driving licence must have been held12 months; enhanced DBS with Update registration, Group2 medical and overseas good-conduct evidence for residence/work exceedingthree months since18 are required. The council says drivers must work predominantly within the borough.
- Vehicle licensing
- Official route/source found
For new licensing the published guidance requires a vehicle under seven years old and an Ashford MOT compliance inspection. Read the complete policy vehicle specification before purchase; contact licensing before new or transfer applications. Licensed vehicles may only be driven by borough-licensed drivers, not unlicensed family or friends.
- Operator licensing
- Official route/source found
Applicants need an operating base within Ashford and must declare predominantly borough working. Submit right-to-work evidence and a booking/dispatch ex-offender employment policy. Applicants and company directors need basic DBS dated within one month, then annual submissions within 30 days of the grant anniversary; locally licensed drivers using enhanced DBS/Update Service are exempt. Home operating premises may need planning permission.
- Licensing fees
- Official route/source found
Current page lists driver one/three years£103/£214, subject to stated three-year eligibility; vehicle new/renewal£346/£305, inspection£35. Five-year operators up to3/10/20 vehicles£225/£660/£1,250. Effective date not printed.
- Taxi tariff
- Official evidence found; detail still to confirm
Tariff content checked 23 October 2026. The current council passenger page independently dates its night/bank-holiday 1.5-times and named festive 2-times bands from 1 April 2025, with ordinary two/five/ten-mile examples of £7.60/£15/£27.40. The January 2026 committee recommendation uses matching figures, but final 2026/27 adoption has not been recovered. That separate review does not erase the published 2025 evidence. Extras and out-of-area agreement conditions remain separate; no model is enabled.
- Mandatory qualifications
- Official route/source found
Pass an accepted practical taxi assessment and the private-hire knowledge/numeracy test. Taxi-specific safeguarding and disability-awareness certificates must be withinthree years. Applicants usually hold private-hire status forsix months before seeking the joint hackney licence.
Withheld or still needing confirmation
- Enrichment only: preserve previously verified driver, fees and qualifications.
- Final adoption and operative date unresolved.
- Festive supplements, extras and shared distance/time allowance require complete final card.