RESEARCHED AUTHORITY
Sunderland
Sunderland City Council · Sources checked 13 September 2026
- Driver licensing
- Official route/source found
Current council hub states that drivers, vehicle owners and private hire operators need council licences and routes to applications and fare information. Publishes fees for hackney carriage and private hire vehicles, testing, plates, operator licence tiers, driver licence durations, knowledge test and DBS.
- Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing
- Fees and charges (effective 2024-10-08)
- Driver licence
- Vehicle licensing
- Official route/source found
Current council hub states that drivers, vehicle owners and private hire operators need council licences and routes to applications and fare information. Publishes fees for hackney carriage and private hire vehicles, testing, plates, operator licence tiers, driver licence durations, knowledge test and DBS.
- Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing
- Fees and charges (effective 2024-10-08)
- Private hire vehicle licence
- Operator licensing
- Official route/source found
Current council hub states that drivers, vehicle owners and private hire operators need council licences and routes to applications and fare information. Publishes fees for hackney carriage and private hire vehicles, testing, plates, operator licence tiers, driver licence durations, knowledge test and DBS.
- Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing
- Fees and charges (effective 2024-10-08)
- Operator licence
- Licensing fees
- Official route/source found
Publishes fees for hackney carriage and private hire vehicles, testing, plates, operator licence tiers, driver licence durations, knowledge test and DBS. Hackney carriage vehicle licence is £272; private hire vehicle licence is £256; driver licence is £93/£108/£125 for up to one/two/three years.
- Fees and charges (effective 2024-10-08)
- Taxi tariff
- Current council tariff checked
Council fare card effective 1 April 2026. Tariff 1 (Monday-Saturday 07:00-23:00, excluding holidays/festive periods): £3.20 first 100 yards, then 20p per 163 yards or part. Tariff 2 (23:00-07:00 and Sunday, excluding holidays/festive periods): £3.60, then 20p per 124 yards. Tariff 3 (public/bank holidays and stated Christmas/New Year periods): £4.60, then 20p per 124 yards. Waiting 40p/minute. Each adult beyond two, chargeable luggage and non-assistance animal adds 40p; summoning a vehicle 80p when disclosed; soiling maximum £70.
Tariff content checked 17 October 2026.
- Mandatory qualifications
- Official evidence found; detail still to confirm
First-time hackney carriage and private hire applicants complete online safeguarding/disability-awareness and taxi-law modules followed by a multiple-choice knowledge test at the council. Topics include Highway Code, legislation, local routes, safeguarding and disability awareness. A renewing driver who already passed does not repeat this knowledge test. This source establishes the new-applicant learning route only; separate refresher safeguarding, practical driving and medical requirements have not been fully verified here.
Withheld or still needing confirmation
- Only stated qualification components verified; no exhaustive qualification claim.