RESEARCHED AUTHORITY
Oadby and Wigston
Oadby and Wigston Borough Council · Sources checked 10 September 2026
- Driver licensing
- Official route/source found
Oadby and Wigston issues a combined hackney-carriage and private-hire driver licence for three years. New applicants first book and pass the council competency test, then submit the full application with driving-licence and DVLA evidence, identity and address documents, English evidence where required, Group 2 medical evidence, safeguarding and disability-awareness training, a Blue Lamp Trust practical-driving assessment and the Enhanced DBS application reference. The council currently advises an eight-month new-application timescale after all documents and a passed test are received.
- Vehicle licensing
- Official route/source found
Apply online for a hackney-carriage or private-hire vehicle licence after checking the council policy. A vehicle first licensed normally must be under six years old and is not normally licensed beyond 12 years; separate limits apply to executive and wheelchair-accessible vehicles. Vehicles require annual VOSA MOTs plus the specified six-month inspection cycle, valid insurance, plates and required safety equipment. Hackney carriages also need an approved, calibrated meter certificate.
- Operator licensing
- Official route/source found
Anyone accepting or inviting private-hire bookings needs an operator licence. The council assesses whether the applicant is fit and proper, will comply with the conditions and has a suitable operating address. Operational participants must pass the operator competency test, and each applicant, partner, associate or company director who is not already a licensed driver must obtain the required DBS check through TaxiPlus. New and renewal applications should be submitted at least six weeks before the licence is needed.
- Licensing fees
- Official route/source found
Full Council approved the 2026/27 fee schedule on 19 February 2026, but the schedule does not state its exact commencement date. A three-year combined driver licence is £365 and the driver competency test £60. A one-year vehicle licence is £365, with electric vehicles £182.50 and ultra-low-emission or wheelchair-accessible vehicles £274. A five-year operator licence is £1,090 for one to five vehicles, £1,610 for six to ten, or £2,140 for eleven or more; the operator competency test is £60.
- Taxi tariff
- Official route/source found
The council's policy version 5.2, adopted in November 2025, labels Appendix 6 as the current hackney-carriage fare table, although it does not state when the scale first commenced. The daytime rate from 6am to midnight is £4 for the first mile, then 30p for each 195.6 yards; the night and bank-holiday rate is £5 for the first mile, then 40p for each 247 yards. The stated Christmas and New Year rate is £8 for the first mile, then 60p for each 195.6 yards. Five-or-more-passenger journeys add 50%, and the soiling charge is £50.
- Mandatory qualifications
- Official route/source found
A new driver must pass the council competency test and the Blue Lamp Trust practical assessment, complete online-classroom safeguarding and disability-awareness courses, meet the Group 2 medical standard, undergo Enhanced DBS and DVLA checks and show the required English competence and immigration status. Where English is not the applicant's first language, the council requires Functioning Level 2 English evidence. The driver page states that new and renewal applicants must complete the safeguarding and disability-awareness courses.
Withheld or still needing confirmation
- The approved 2026/27 fee schedule does not state a precise commencement date, so the figures are released with an explicit effective-date gap rather than assuming 1 April.
- The adopted November 2025 policy identifies Appendix 6 as the current fare table but does not state the tariff's original operative date. The table is released as current under the adopted policy, with that date gap retained.
- The driver page says no more 2026 competency-test dates are available and asks applicants to await a 2027 date. This is a current availability constraint, not a permanent closure of new applications, and must not be rewritten as one.
- External provider charges for the Blue Lamp Trust assessment and training, medical examination and DBS processing are not part of the approved council fee schedule and are not inferred.