RESEARCHED AUTHORITY
Test Valley
Test Valley Council · Sources checked 13 September 2026
- Driver licensing
- Official route/source found
Applicants must be at least 18, have held a full driving licence for one year, prove identity and right to work, provide a Group 2 medical from a practitioner with access to their medical records, and obtain enhanced DBS and consent to DVLA history checking. An application not actively pursued for six months is treated as withdrawn.
- Vehicle licensing
- Official route/source found
The current application page, updated 13 April 2026, provides online new, renewal and temporary accident-replacement applications with payment and compliance-inspection booking. Licences last one year, or six months when the vehicle is more than six years old. Inspection is at the council's Andover Environmental Service Depot. Maximum capacity is eight passengers. Hackney carriages need integral or external taxi roof signage; private-hire vehicles may not have any roof sign. Both may only be driven by a Test Valley licensed driver, including when not working.
- Operator licensing
- Official route/source found
The operating address must be within Test Valley. The normal operator licence lasts five years, with an annual option. Every named applicant needs a Basic DBS disclosure unless already a council-licensed driver; the same exemption applies to providing right-to-work documents again. New applicants who are not current dual-licensed drivers must complete Blue Lamp Trust classroom safeguarding training. Applicants supply tax-conditionality information and a complete application pack; incomplete applications are rejected. The operator, controlled vehicles and drivers must hold licences from the same authority. The council provides online grant/renewal and its operator application pack.
- Licensing fees
- Official route/source found
The official 2026/27 schedule lists a new driver licence at £106 for one year or £121 for three years, and renewal at £72 or £105. Hackney and private-hire vehicle licences are £98; initial inspection is £53, temporary vehicle change £49 and ownership transfer £25. A private-hire operator licence costs £83 for one year or £212 for five years. The schedule also lists a £30 failed knowledge-test resit and £10 replacement licence or badge.
- Taxi tariff
- Official evidence found; detail still to confirm
The current vehicle guidance links the October 2025 policy. Its fare table gives £5.80/£8.70/£11.60 for the first 10/12 mile, printed as 1,467 yards, under tariffs 1/2/3. Later 1/12-mile steps, printed as 147 yards, cost 20p/30p/40p. Waiting is the same respective charge for each 40 seconds or part. Tariff 1 is 07:00–midnight except the higher bands. Tariff 2 covers midnight–07:00, all bank holidays and Christmas/New Year's Eves 14:00–midnight, except tariff 3. Tariff 3 names Christmas Day, New Year's Day and a printed period from midnight 31 December to 07:00 on 2 January; this overlaps the eve rule and requires clarification. Hourly hire is £18/£27/£36 for the first hour or part and £4.50/£6.75/£9 for each subsequent quarter-hour or part. Passengers above four add 50p/75p/£1 each; soiling £50/£75/£100. These are source-backed current-linked figures, not a fully unambiguous calculator schedule.
- Mandatory qualifications
- Official route/source found
The council knowledge test covers borough geography, Highway Code and licensed-driver responsibilities. New applicants who are not already current dual hackney/private-hire drivers must undertake the Blue Lamp Trust classroom safeguarding course. Applicants should subscribe to the DBS Update Service and remain subscribed.
Withheld or still needing confirmation
- Vehicle/operator rules, fees and complete tariff not verified in this record.
- Amounts are taken from the 2026/27 column of the council's official schedule; older 2025/26 comparison values are not repeated.
- Preserve prior verified fields.
- Preserve previously verified fields. Exact current operator fee and full ongoing recordkeeping conditions remain to be added.
- Exact legal commencement date is not printed in the recovered fare table.
- Distance fractions and rounded yard equivalents must not be silently mixed; distance part-rounding is not explicit.
- New Year's Eve/day overlap requires council clarification; awaiting independent visual table QA.
- Numeric charges, entry age/emission thresholds and complete documentary checklist remain outside this verified summary.