RESEARCHED AUTHORITY
Central Bedfordshire
Central Bedfordshire Council · Sources checked 13 September 2026
- Driver licensing
- Official route/source found
Applicants need a UK licence held12 months and right to work. After tests, supply medical, DVLA details and photograph; enhanced DBS is arranged. The dual badge normally lasts three years aligned to DBS expiry.
- Vehicle licensing
- Official route/source found
Vehicles should be under seven years old or pass exceptional-condition checking before application. Supply correct hire insurance and V5C; new hackney carriages require specified wheelchair-accessibility/type-approval evidence. Compliance tests and, from 30 March 2026, six-monthly MOTs must use Thorn Turn or Sandy depots. Renew at least ten working days before expiry; a vehicle untested before expiry is treated as new.
- Operator licensing
- Official route/source found
An operating base within Central Bedfordshire is required. New applicants submit driver/vehicle details, public and employer liability insurance, basic DBS if not already locally licensed, identity/right-to-work evidence, knowledge-test pass and CSE-training certificate. Renew before expiry with documents and relevant tax check; late renewal becomes a new application.
- Licensing fees
- Official route/source found
The knowledge course/test costs £70, payable again on a repeat attempt. Full licensing fees remain unextracted.
- Taxi tariff
- Official evidence found; detail still to confirm
Tariff content checked 23 October 2026. The current council passenger page publishes £4 for the first 1,100 yards, then 13p per further 98 yards or part, and waiting at 13p per 40 seconds or part. Separate night, Sunday, bank-holiday and festive percentage supplements and passenger/extras conditions are listed. Legal commencement is not printed; percentage stacking, the larger-party threshold wording and the New Year minute boundary remain unresolved. The approximate mile examples differ slightly from started-step arithmetic, so no model is enabled.
- Mandatory qualifications
- Official route/source found
Attend the five-hour knowledge course and pass its test, then the council transport-team practical assessment and child-sexual-exploitation training. Three knowledge attempts are allowed within six months. Only specified recent external CSE certificates are accepted.
Withheld or still needing confirmation
- Enrichment only; retain prior fields.