RESEARCHED AUTHORITY
Warrington
Warrington Borough Council · Sources checked 13 September 2026
- Driver licensing
- Official evidence found; detail still to confirm
The council’s current driver route describes joint hackney/private-hire and additionally conditioned driver licences and says licensed drivers undergo a DBS check every six months through the update service. The renewal page says driver licences are normally three years and gives the timing for renewal, DVLA, DBS and medical checks.
- Vehicle licensing
- Official route/source found
PH vehicles normally require category M1 approval; M2/N1 may qualify with IVA and no subsequent modification. The current-linked policy expressly uses condition rather than first-entry or maximum vehicle age. Provide evidence of ownership, financial interest or lease permission, not V5 alone. Licences last 12 months. Email the signed application, insurance and V5 at least three weeks before expiry; the council then requests payment. Book due six-month tests with Warrington's Own Buses. PH vehicles carry blue front/rear identification and prescribed door/pre-booking signs; HC plates are white and the taxi sign illuminates when available.
- Operator licensing
- Official route/source found
The current linked operator policy requires Basic DBS within one month for applicants and partners/directors/company secretary. Notify new or replacement officers within fourteen days with DBS evidence. Applicants complete safeguarding and county-lines courses; equivalent requirements extend to staff with personal-data access. Maintain staff records and a convictions/behaviour policy for booking, dispatch and records-access staff. The policy provides general and restricted executive-hire operator categories; restricted bookings require long-term contracts using the specified executive vehicles. Direct operation uses Warrington-licensed drivers and vehicles.
- Licensing fees
- Official evidence found; detail still to confirm
The current renewal page publishes fees from 16 April 2026, including £260 for a new three-year driver licence, £267 for a new private-hire vehicle and banded one-year and five-year operator licences; an additional non-refundable £55 administration fee is listed.
- Taxi tariff
- Official evidence found; detail still to confirm
The council’s maximum-fare page states the current hackney table took effect 9 July 2026: Tariff 1 starts at £3.45 for up to 783.6 yards, then 10p each 93 yards, with waiting at 10p per completed 30 seconds. Higher tariff bands and extras are shown on the linked council table.
- Mandatory qualifications
- Official evidence found; detail still to confirm
The currently linked knowledge-test guide specifies 15 licensing questions plus five disability-awareness questions, requiring 16 correct across these sections. A separate five-question safeguarding section needs three correct. Total time allowed is 40 minutes. Applicants must also complete the free Safer Streets safeguarding course and provide its certificate. The July 2026 application page still links this October 2022 guide. Full communication-test arrangements, practical assessment and refresher cadence are not resolved by this subset.
Withheld or still needing confirmation
- Vehicle and operator application workflows are not exhaustively reproduced; use the council hub and forms before applying.
- Preserve prior fields. Exact fees, full renewal rules and any DBS driver exemption not yet reconciled across the complete policy; this is a source-backed subset, not an exhaustive checklist.
- Qualification subset verified only; remaining class-specific or refresher details require review.
- No emissions minimum inferred from silence in this policy. Full testing criteria, special-vehicle exceptions and current fees remain outside this enrichment.
- Preserve prior verified fields.