North Somerset taxi and private-hire licensing

RESEARCHED AUTHORITY

North Somerset

North Somerset Council · Sources checked 13 September 2026

Driver licensing

Official route/source found

Combined or PH licence; minimum18, driving licence12 months, Group2 medical, right-to-work, DVLA/criminality checks and six-month Update Service checks.

• Driver licence

Vehicle licensing

Official route/source found

First licence maximumfive years and Euro6. Annual testing until eight years; over eight six-month licences/twice-yearly tests. Council-site MOT/compliance test, V5, insurance and purchase proof. Annual proprietor basic DBS unless licensed-driver checks current.

• Vehicle licence

Operator licensing

Official route/source found

Premises in North Somerset, required planning permission, right-to-work and basic DBS. Email application with evidence; statementofprinciples2024–27 applies.

• Operator licence

Licensing fees

Official route/source found

English screening assessment £45 stated on current application page. Full licensing fee schedule not extracted.

• Driver licence

Taxi tariff

Official evidence found; detail still to confirm

Tariff content checked 23 October 2026. The recovered notice is explicitly a proposed table dated 27 October 2023 and says it was deposited until 10 November; the previously stated 7 November deadline was unsupported. The final objection outcome and current operative card have not been recovered. Its proposed distance bands, completed-period waiting and inconsistent holiday cross-reference are not promoted into a calculator model or asserted as a confirmed current replacement.

• Council fare evidence
• Additional council evidence

Mandatory qualifications

Official route/source found

English screening written/verbal assessment precedes application, plus driving and knowledge tests and safeguarding. Current page lists £45 screening; repeat attempts only by appeal.

• Driver licence