Stevenage taxi and private-hire licensing

RESEARCHED AUTHORITY

Stevenage

Stevenage Council · Sources checked 13 September 2026

Driver licensing

Official route/source found

Dual applicants attend an initial interview and provide right-to-work, enhanced DBS, a full driving licence held one year and own-GP Group 2 medical evidence.

• Council licensing guidance

Vehicle licensing

Official route/source found

Hackneys display yellow plates, roof TAXI sign and a calibrated meter. Private-hire vehicles display green plates and council door signs and must not display a roof sign.

• Council licensing guidance

Operator licensing

Official route/source found

Applicants need a Stevenage operating base and Basic criminal-record check unless already a hackney/private-hire driver. Public-access premises such as waiting rooms require public liability insurance; the page exempts a home operation from this requirement. Operators use Stevenage-licensed drivers and vehicles for their own work, while subcontracting to licensed operators inside or outside the town is explicitly permitted. Drivers/operators must accommodate disabled passengers without disability-related surcharges. The current application page, rather than the separately indexed legacy annual-term PDF, supports this summary.

• Current operator guidance

Licensing fees

Official route/source found

Stevenage Cabinet approved the phased 2026/27 taxi-licensing charges, intended to support service delivery from 1 January 2026. The adopted first-phase figures are: driver licence £169 for one year or £429 for three years; vehicle licence/change of vehicle including compliance £279; temporary vehicle £147; vehicle transfer £83; private-hire operator £263 for one year or £1,005 for five years. The appendix also lists DBS £99, English-language test £91, knowledge test £173, replacement paper licence £10, badge £25 and plate £50. The Cabinet also approved reduced fees for qualifying low- and zero-emission vehicles; applicants should confirm eligibility and the amount directly with the council.

• Cabinet decision: taxi and private-hire licensing fees and charges 2026/27
• Appendix A: phased taxi licensing fees and charges 2026/27

Taxi tariff

Official evidence found; detail still to confirm

Tariff content checked 23 October 2026. The current 15 December 2025 fare card is corroborated by the final 27 November 2025 decision and linked again by the 22 October 2026 agenda. The first 528 yards cost £3.90/£5.85/£7.80, then started 220-yard units cost 30p/45p/60p. Its typical mile examples match those pulses: ordinary daytime one/two/three/five/ten miles are £5.70/£8.10/£10.50/£15.30/£27.30. The separate HTML £3.80 minimum is stale. The PDF clarifies 20p per passenger above one and a £2 total extras cap. Waiting partial-period treatment remains unprinted; calculator waiting is excluded. A proposed 10 November 2026 replacement awaits final outcome, so existing models retain that cutoff.

• Adopted/current council fare evidence
• Additional council evidence

Mandatory qualifications

Official route/source found

Pass spoken English, knowledge and driving assessments before a dual licence is granted.

• Council licensing guidance