Staffordshire Moorlands taxi and private-hire licensing

RESEARCHED AUTHORITY

Staffordshire Moorlands

Staffordshire Moorlands Council · Sources checked 13 September 2026

Driver licensing

Official route/source found

Staffordshire Moorlands' current application route is for a combined hackney-carriage/private-hire driver licence. Before the council will book the local knowledge test, a new applicant must present the required identity, address and right-to-work evidence, an original DBS certificate linked to the DBS Update Service, a Taxi Plus safeguarding-course certificate, a completed council medical document and a compliant badge photograph. The council says the process can take up to 12 weeks and includes at least one office attendance. Its licensing policy, effective 1 April 2026, describes the new-driver assessment as covering district geography, taxi and private-hire law and council rules, numeracy and literacy, the Highway Code and map use, safeguarding and county lines, and disability awareness. Applicants should use the live council instructions for the current forms, provider bookings, evidence validity and charges.

• Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy 2026–2030

Vehicle licensing

Official evidence found; detail still to confirm

The published June 2025 private-hire application guide requires renewal at least fourteen days before expiry. Submit an approved-centre MOT no more than one month old, evidence that advisory and minor defects were addressed, vehicle registration evidence and insurance; another approved-centre MOT is required six months later. The guide describes a one-year licence and plates. Applicants not already licensed locally as a driver or operator supply a basic disclosure no more than one month old. A newer policy effective April 2026 exists but has not yet been reconciled, so these are partial application-guide facts rather than a complete current policy statement.

• Council private-hire vehicle application process, updated 30 June 2025

Operator licensing

Official route/source found

Operator office must be within the district. Application requires business plan, scaled door-sign design, vehicle schedule, maintenance arrangements, insurance and planning evidence where required. Public-access premises require £2m liability insurance; relevant individuals supply recent DBS and identity/right-to-work evidence. New grant guidance specifies one year.

• Operator application
• Operator licensing

Licensing fees

Official route/source found

2026–27 schedule: new three-year driver £350 including first knowledge test; renewal £300. Over-65 one-year new £160/renewal £110. Knowledge resit £25; one-year operator grant for 1–3 vehicles £175. Third-party tests/checks charged separately.

• 2026–27 fees

Taxi tariff

Official evidence found; detail still to confirm

The recovered official card is labelled effective 23 February 2013 although its filename says 2015. Tariff 1: Monday–Saturday 08:00–midnight, £2.80 for 704 yards then 15p per 176 yards, waiting 25p/minute. Tariff 2: Monday–Saturday midnight–08:00, Sundays, bank holidays and Christmas/New Year's Eves 20:00–midnight, £3.80 initially then 25p per 176 yards, waiting 50p/minute. Tariff 3 lists Christmas Day, New Year's Eve 20:00–midnight and New Year's Day, £5.20 initially then 30p per 176 yards, waiting 80p/minute. The New Year's Eve wording overlaps tariff 2 and must be clarified. Five or more passengers add 25%; soiling £45; animals, wheelchairs, pushchairs and luggage have no extra charge. PHTM's 2026 two-mile tariff-one benchmark is £5.20, matching this card's ordinary arithmetic, but it does not establish all old card conditions remain current.

• Official indexed fare card with 23 February 2013 effective date, filename 2015
• PHTM 2026 two-mile comparison

Mandatory qualifications

Official evidence found; detail still to confirm

The council's application guidance, updated 22 April 2026, requires a TaxiPlus safeguarding certificate, original enhanced DBS linked to the Update Service and a completed medical before a knowledge-test appointment can be booked. Applicants attend with original documents and take the local knowledge test. This dated official evidence establishes those prerequisites, but practical driving requirements, precise pass thresholds and refresher intervals remain unconfirmed.

• Current application requirements