Guildford taxi and private-hire licensing

RESEARCHED AUTHORITY

Guildford

Guildford Borough Council · Sources checked 13 September 2026

Driver licensing

Official route/source found

Hackney-carriage applicants are assessed for medical fitness and driving record. DBS Update registration and six-monthly checks are required; arrests, charges or convictions must be reported within 48 hours.

• Driver eligibility and fees

Vehicle licensing

Official route/source found

First-time private-hire vehicles must be under five years old and meet the council specification. They cannot use hackney colours or a roof sign, and must retain their side identification and rear red plate unless exempt. A council PH or dual-licensed driver is required even off duty. The current page lists CCTV, emissions and proprietor-suitability requirements, which should be checked against the applicable policy before purchase. Dated2026/27 charges are £292.05 new/renewal, £28.80 vehicle change, £122.72 three-month temporary licence, £24.84 plates, £28.71 paired signs and £58 test.

• Current vehicle requirements

Operator licensing

Official evidence found; detail still to confirm

Current operator application guidance normally grants five years and requires a local operating premises with planning/building-control consent or lawful-use evidence; public-access premises need public-liability cover. Each applicant supplies photo identity, right-to-work evidence and a basic DBS issued within three months; include the driver/vehicle list and fee. The trading name must not contain taxis or cabs. The same page's introductory reference to possible enhanced DBS checks conflicts with its specific basic-DBS checklist, so the disclosure level is not represented as fully reconciled. The currently displayed new/renewal fee is £2,473.87, but its operative date is not printed. Current conditions require booking, driver and vehicle records, a complaints register and seven-day notification of specified business/contact/licensed-person changes. Retention and staff-vetting cadence remain to be confirmed against a current consolidated policy.

• Current operator application checklist
• Current official operator licensing requirements and policy evidence
• Current official operator licensing requirements and policy evidence

Licensing fees

Official route/source found

The current operator application page lists £2,473.87 for grant or renewal. Normal licence term is five years. No fee effective date is printed; checked 13 September 2026.

• Driver eligibility and fees
• Current operator application checklist

Taxi tariff

Official route/source found

The fare page states 13 July 2022 rates: ordinary 07:00–23:00 starts £3 (£4 Sunday), including 99 yards or 17 seconds, then 20p per increment. Night and public-holiday rates differ. Printed first-mile examples conflict with discrete pulse rounding; automatic use is withheld.

• Fares

Mandatory qualifications

Official route/source found

An approved driving assessment and the professional taxi/private-hire driver BTEC qualification are required before licensing; the qualification must be less than three years old when first submitted.

• Driver eligibility and fees