RESEARCHED AUTHORITY
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle City Council · Sources checked 13 September 2026
- Driver licensing
- Official route/source found
Requires applicants to be over 18 and to have held a full DVLA licence for at least 12 months. Publishes one- and three-year hackney carriage, private hire and dual-driver fees plus DBS/DVLA and locality retest charges.
- Vehicle licensing
- Official route/source found
Publishes an application fee of £255 plus subsequent test fees and lists required vehicle evidence. Contains driver, proprietor/vehicle and operator policy plus the council fare-scale appendix.
- Operator licensing
- Official route/source found
Contains driver, proprietor/vehicle and operator policy plus the council fare-scale appendix. Fare appendix sets a £4 minimum charge, separate tariff-one and tariff-two distance steps, waiting increments, £2 for each passenger over four and soiling up to £120.
- Licensing fees
- Official route/source found
Requires applicants to be over 18 and to have held a full DVLA licence for at least 12 months. Publishes one- and three-year hackney carriage, private hire and dual-driver fees plus DBS/DVLA and locality retest charges.
- Taxi tariff
- Official route/source found
Contains driver, proprietor/vehicle and operator policy plus the council fare-scale appendix. Fare appendix sets a £4 minimum charge, separate tariff-one and tariff-two distance steps, waiting increments, £2 for each passenger over four and soiling up to £120.
- Mandatory qualifications
- Official evidence found; detail still to confirm
All new applicants must complete the licensing-officer Knowledge and Understanding session covering conduct, legislation, vulnerable/disabled passengers and safety responsibilities. Hackney and dual applicants additionally pass a locality test; it is not stated as required for private hire alone. Safeguarding training is a grant condition. Applicants must be over 18 with twelve months' full DVLA entitlement and Group 2 medical evidence from a doctor with full records. DBS Update Service enrolment is required. The current guidance does not specify a fixed safeguarding refresher interval or separate practical-assessment requirement.
Withheld or still needing confirmation
- A standalone current private hire operator fee page was not verified; policy route is retained.
- Fixed safeguarding refresher cadence and practical-assessment applicability remain unverified.