South Oxfordshire taxi and private-hire licensing

RESEARCHED AUTHORITY

South Oxfordshire

South Oxfordshire Council · Sources checked 13 September 2026

Driver licensing

Official route/source found

Applicants must have held a full DVLA licence for at least 12 months. The council's sequence is: pass its knowledge test on licensing law/conditions, safeguarding, the Highway Code and district geography; pass an approved practical taxi-driving assessment; complete disability-awareness and safeguarding training (or show equivalent training from the preceding three years); obtain a Group 2 medical; then submit the driver form and fee. At the document appointment applicants show the original form, photograph, full UK/EU/EEA licence, medical, practical-test certificate and right-to-work evidence, and apply through the council's Taxiplus route for an enhanced DBS check. The DBS must be registered on the Update Service within 28 days. Medicals repeat every five years over 45 and annually over 65; specified conditions can require more frequent evidence.

• Apply for a taxi driver's licence
• Renew an existing taxi driver's licence

Vehicle licensing

Official route/source found

Request a plate number using V5C before compliance testing. If V5C is unavailable, evidence must establish Euro category and exclude category A/B/S write-off status. Submit required inspection/documents and applicable proprietor DBS. Renew at least four weeks before expiry. Reduced fees apply only to zero-emission or wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

• Vehicle applications

Operator licensing

Official route/source found

Applicants submit the form, safeguarding/disability-awareness certificate issued within three years, at least £5m public liability cover and fleet-size fee through the council portal. Applicants without a council-issued driver licence also provide right-to-work proof, Basic DBS followed by annual disclosures, and pass the operator knowledge test. Before grant, officers inspect the base, customer waiting area, communications and record facilities. Planning permission may be needed. Renewals should be submitted at least six weeks before expiry; no bookings may be accepted after a licence lapses until a new licence is issued.

• Current operator application checklist

Licensing fees

Official evidence found; detail still to confirm

Published 2026/27 schedule: three-year HC/PH driver badge £434.50; knowledge test £68.50. One-year HC vehicle £389, reduced to £110 for zero-emission or wheelchair-accessible vehicles; PH vehicle £242, reduced to £95 for those categories. Five-year PH operator: 1–2 vehicles £214.50; 3–4 £335.50; 5–14 £569; 15+ £783. Vehicle ownership transfer £82, change of vehicle £111.50, replacement plate £58; replacement driver badge/paper licence £50.50.

• Council published 2026/27 fee schedule, pages32–33

Taxi tariff

Official route/source found

The current council-linked card is effective 20 April 2024. Each band includes one mile: Tariff 1 £5.90, Tariff 2 £7.85, Tariff 3 £11.70; subsequent one-tenth mile (176 yards) costs 30p/40p/50p respectively, with waiting per minute at the same amounts. T1 is 06:00–21:59; T2 covers 22:00–01:59, Sundays and public/bank holidays including Easter Sunday, plus Christmas/New Year's Eve 20:00–21:59. T3 covers 02:00–05:59, Christmas/Boxing/New Year's Day, both eves 22:00–23:59 and 27 December 06:00–06:59. More than four passengers adds £1.50 per extra passenger; maximum soiling £150. Out-of-district fares may be agreed beforehand; otherwise the tariff applies. Printed holiday/night overlap and incomplete-unit rounding need explicit interpretation before calculator activation.

• Current official fare guidance and adoption
• Official fare card effective 20 April 2024

Mandatory qualifications

Official evidence found; detail still to confirm

The council's new-driver guide requires good spoken/written English, a satisfactory medical and criminal-record check, a practical driving assessment certificate, completion and pass of disability/safeguarding training, and a written knowledge test. This confirms the principal application requirements only; approved providers, pass thresholds, certificate validity and refresher intervals remain to be checked in the detailed application guidance.

• Current new-driver guidance