Epsom and Ewell taxi and private-hire licensing

RESEARCHED AUTHORITY

Epsom and Ewell

Epsom and Ewell Borough Council · Sources checked 13 September 2026

Driver licensing

Official route/source found

A taxi or private-hire driver must hold the appropriate licence from the authority licensing the vehicle. Changes of contact details or operator must be reported within seven days; specified arrests, charges and convictions within 48 hours.

• Taxi licensing

Vehicle licensing

Official route/source found

Hackney carriages must be wheelchair accessible and have a taximeter capable of registering the council-approved fare scale. Obtain advice before applying where exceptional-vehicle eligibility is uncertain.

• Vehicle application

Operator licensing

Official route/source found

Private-hire journeys must be pre-booked through a licensed operator; vehicle, driver and operator must be licensed by the same authority. Full operator application conditions remain unextracted.

• Taxi licensing

Licensing fees

Official route/source found

The council's 2026/27 schedule lists three-year hackney-carriage and private-hire driver licences at £340 and £305. Annual hackney and private-hire vehicle licences are £330 and £320, reduced to £265 and £250 for hybrid or electric vehicles. Knowledge tests are £95 for hackney, £66 for private hire and £45 for restricted school-run private hire. Five-year operator charges are £1,170 for one to five vehicles, £1,700 for six to 25 and £2,220 for more than 25; the schedule also permits an annual operator licence at one third of the relevant five-year charge. Replacement, transfer and missed-appointment charges are listed separately.

• Licensing fees and charges 2026/27 - Appendix 2

Taxi tariff

Official evidence found; detail still to confirm

Council notice published 26 March 2026 proposed TfL-aligned revisions: minimum £4.40 (20p increase), tariffs 1–3 increased 2.88%, tariff 4 matching tariff 2, and London City Airport drop-off extra £6. Intended commencement 25 April 2026 was conditional on no outstanding objections; deadline for modified determination was 24 June. Final operative card and exact distance/time pulses were not recovered, so no calculator tariff is inferred from TfL alone.

• Council statutory notice reproduced by newspaper portal

Mandatory qualifications

Official evidence found; detail still to confirm

The current application page requires Group 2 medical fitness, English proficiency, enhanced DBS registered with its Update Service, and an approved BLT virtual-classroom child-safeguarding certificate. New private-hire drivers pass a knowledge test covering local geography, numeracy, spoken/read/written English, licence conditions and Highway Code; hackney drivers take an advanced knowledge test. Restricted school-run applicants take a proficiency test without local-area or numeracy sections. Normally three years' driving entitlement is required, but applicants with one to three years may qualify with an approved driving assessment dated within twelve months. The upload checklist additionally requests that assessment for applicants under 21. This is not an exhaustive account of wheelchair/disability conditions.

• Current driver requirements