Braintree taxi and private-hire licensing

RESEARCHED AUTHORITY

Braintree

Braintree Council · Sources checked 13 September 2026

Driver licensing

Official route/source found

Apply in person by appointment so original documents can be verified. Applicants must be at least 18, hold a DVLA licence and obtain a Group 2 medical. Driver licences normally last three years; over 65 the licence and medical are annual.

• Driver application

Vehicle licensing

Official route/source found

New hackney carriage and private hire applications need the application form, appropriate hire insurance, MOT where required, original V5C and fee; hackney applications also require the bill of sale. First-licensed vehicles must be under five years old, or under eight years for wheelchair-accessible vehicles. Both routes require mechanical inspection and a further inspection six months after licence issue. Licences last one year. Council plates and door livery must be displayed; hackneys also receive a fare chart.

• Hackney carriage vehicle applications
• Private hire vehicle applications

Operator licensing

Official route/source found

An operator licence is needed before accepting private-hire bookings whether or not the operator owns the vehicles. Directly used vehicles and drivers must be Braintree-licensed. Written booking records must identify customer, booking time, pickup, destination and allocated vehicle, and be available for council inspection.

• Operator records and licensing

Licensing fees

Official route/source found

The council's current licensing-fee directory lists private-hire operator £500 for five years and vehicle £250. Private-hire or dual driver costs £254 for three years, £165 for two, £110 for one. Knowledge test £42 and DBS £59.50 are separate. Vehicle change £97, trailer licence £54; inspection fees paid to the test centre are £35 for a vehicle and £18 for a trailer. No effective date is printed on the directory entry.

• Current linked council fees

Taxi tariff

Official route/source found

Tariff content checked 23 October 2026. The council’s current table states July 2025 without an exact commencement day. It gives £4 for 482.8 metres, then 20p per 160.93 metres or part, and 44p per minute or part waiting before applicable uplifts. Night and specified festive bands have separate multipliers. The Sunday/public-holiday sentence remains malformed, and journeys crossing bands may be apportioned. Existing calculator distance/rounding and calendar exclusions remain; the old unextracted-table caveat is superseded.

• Council fare evidence

Mandatory qualifications

Official route/source found

Pass the council knowledge test before applying. Full safeguarding and driving-assessment requirements remain to extract.

• Driver application