Basingstoke and Deane taxi and private-hire licensing

RESEARCHED AUTHORITY

Basingstoke and Deane

Basingstoke and Deane Council · Sources checked 13 September 2026

Driver licensing

Official route/source found

A hackney carriage can only be driven by a holder of the dual hackney-carriage/private-hire driver licence. New applicants use the council's guidance and application pack; renewal forms are not downloadable online and should be obtained from licensing. Grant depends on fit-and-proper assessment and compliance with hackney-carriage byelaws.

• Hackney driver licensing

Vehicle licensing

Official route/source found

The council describes its hackney carriages as purpose-built wheelchair-accessible vehicles with a taxi roof light, including London-style cabs and converted people carriers. This does not establish the complete vehicle age, emissions or inspection rules.

• Hackney driver licensing

Operator licensing

Official route/source found

Operators require borough premises and facilities to receive calls and record bookings. Licences last five years. Only drivers and vehicles licensed by the same authority may be dispatched directly. Subcontracting to another licensed operator is allowed, but the original operator remains responsible and must retain a booking record. The current page supplies a 2026 new-operator pack; renewal forms must be obtained from licensing.

• Operator licensing current guidance

Licensing fees

Official evidence found; detail still to confirm

HC and PH three-year driver fees are £298 new and £211 renewal for 2026–27; knowledge/awareness test £36, DBS £49.50 and medical-adviser review £35. The 3 November 2025 resolution, reproduced by Polly Tix, approves licensing fees from 1 April 2026 but separately sends vehicle/operator charges for statutory consultation. Accordingly, only driver-related charges are released here. The currently linked download still labels its columns proposed; the vehicle/operator consultation outcome remains unresolved rather than assumed approved.

• Current-linked 2026–27 fee schedule
• Official November2025 committee minutes
• Secondary reproduction of committee resolution

Taxi tariff

Official route/source found

Current-linked card is effective 29 January 2025. Tariff 1 daily 06:00–23:00: £4.20 flag, indicative one/two miles £6.20/£8.20. Tariff 2 nights and other bank/public holidays: £5.50 flag, £8.50/£11.50. Tariff 3 from Christmas Eve 20:00 to 27 December 06:00 and New Year's Eve 19:00 to 2 January 06:00: £7 flag, £11/£15. Waiting per started 30 seconds is 20p/30p/40p; fouling £50/£75/£100. No telephone booking or unoccupied-running fee. Meter starts when passenger enters.

• Current vehicle hub linking fare card
• Fare table effective 29 January 2025

Mandatory qualifications

Official route/source found

The August 2026 application pack requires a practical taxi driving assessment, Driver Awareness Test, safeguarding and disability-awareness training, enhanced DBS and DVLA Group 2 medical fitness. The awareness test covers driving law, English and numeracy; hackney applicants additionally face borough geographical knowledge. Full DVLA entitlement must have been held for more than one year. The pack names Blue Lamp Trust and Green Penny practical assessments and includes a wheelchair exercise for wheelchair-accessible driving. Training must be live virtual-classroom certificated training, not self-paced e-learning; the current page names Blue Lamp Trust, Green Penny and STC. Medical evidence from the applicant's practice or D4Drivers is valid for twelve months; DBS disclosure is valid for six months during determination. Routine medical checks are five-yearly up to 65 and yearly over 65, with some conditions requiring annual checks.

• Current taxi driver licensing guidance revised 3 August 2026
• Current licensing appointments and training