RESEARCHED AUTHORITY
Eastbourne
Eastbourne Borough Council · Sources checked 13 September 2026
- Driver licensing
- Official route/source found
Official guidance effective 11 February 2025 says new drivers need a full DVLA or equivalent licence held for at least 12 months. A complete application includes the form and fee, full driving licence, approved driving assessment, enhanced DBS or good-conduct evidence where applicable, knowledge-test pass, Group 2 medical, English-language test pass, right-to-work evidence, photograph and identity/address evidence.
- Vehicle licensing
- Official route/source found
The 2025 guidance says a complete vehicle application includes the prescribed form, fee, V5 registration document, current insurance evidence and the council vehicle suitability test. Full vehicle specifications and licence conditions remain in the guidance and have not yet been reduced to an exhaustive TECSI checklist.
- Operator licensing
- Official route/source found
The official guidance requires an operator licence for accepting private-hire bookings. Operator, driver and vehicle licences must be issued by the same authority. Non-driver applicants need a basic DBS or good-conduct evidence, with annual basic DBS checks thereafter; booking/dispatch staff must be registered and subject to annual basic DBS checks. Public-facing premises require suitable public-liability insurance evidence.
- Licensing fees
- Official route/source found
Official 2026-2027 fees include driver application £375, three-year driver licence £580, vehicle licence £308, knowledge resits £87 dual or £71 private hire/restricted, English-language resit £114 and DBS £114. Five-year operator fees range from £368 for up to five vehicles to £3,675 for 101 or more.
- Taxi tariff
- Official evidence found; detail still to confirm
Council notice published 13 March 2026 proposed four start charges £4/£4.20/£4.20/£7, plus per-mile charges up to five miles £2.80/£3/£3.20/£5.20 and thereafter £3/£3/£3.20/£5.60. Waiting proposed 10p per 17/17/13 seconds or 20p per 17 seconds in band 4. Bands distinguish Monday–Saturday daytime, Sunday/bank-holiday daytime, nights/eves and Christmas/New Year. Five-plus passengers add 50%; proposed soiling £110, pets £5 except assistance dogs. The notice gives conditional commencement 27 April 2026 and objection-resolution deadline 27 June; final outcome/current card was not recovered. These remain proposed amounts, not asserted operative fares.
- Mandatory qualifications
- Official route/source found
The 2025 guidance requires a knowledge test, approved driving-proficiency assessment, Group 2 medical, English-language proficiency test and recognised disability-awareness and safeguarding training. The knowledge test covers local places/routes, licensing law and policy, Highway Code, road signs, numeracy, equalities, safeguarding and disability awareness.
Withheld or still needing confirmation
- Current adopted Eastbourne hackney-carriage fare table has not been recovered and verified; the published guide must show tariff unavailable rather than withholding the other five verified fields.
- A March 2026 fare proposal/public notice must not be presented as adopted without the council outcome and final table.
- Vehicle age, emissions and complete condition detail require a structured extraction before publication as an exhaustive checklist.
- Final adoption/operative card and full meter rules remain unverified.