Bristol, City of taxi and private-hire licensing

This guide publishes only fields supported by the cited official sources. Anything unresolved is visibly withheld rather than inferred.

RESEARCHED AUTHORITY

Bristol, City of

Bristol City Council · Sources checked 12 September 2026

Driver licensing
Official route/source found

Applicants must be over 18 with a full driving licence held at least 12 months; enhanced DBS, medical, DVLA mandate and right-to-licence evidence required.

Vehicle licensing
Official route/source found

New hackney must be ULEV, wheelchair accessible and type approved, in approved Bristol Blue. Contact licensing before buying: cap 795. Legal owner applies with insurance, inspection within six weeks, ownership evidence, V5, DBS/licensed-driver reference and meter calibration where fitted.

Operator licensing
Official route/source found

Bristol physical address required. Supply DBS or driver reference, fleet lists and safeguarding/complaints/training policies. Basic DBS annually unless licensed-driver exemption; fleet lists monthly.

Licensing fees
Official route/source found

Published driver one-year £140 plus £26 application and checks. Vehicle £251 annual/£129 six months. Operator 1–5 years £356/£491/£712/£883/£1,058.

Taxi tariff
Official route/source found

Current passenger page links April 2025 card despite October 2018 filename. Six day/night/weekend/holiday tariffs: flag £3–£4.40, stepped distance and waiting. No private-hire tariff implied.

Mandatory qualifications
Official route/source found

Knowledge test required. Council says advanced driving test and Gold Standard course are not currently running. Safeguarding is due by first renewal; without it initial licence limited to one year.

Withheld or still needing confirmation
  • Full policy conditions and all ancillary fees not exhaustively extracted.
  • PDF text reviewed; visual and calculator boundary review outstanding.
  • Midnight schedule wording and pulse rounding must be retained, not normalised silently.

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