Watford taxi and private-hire licensing

RESEARCHED AUTHORITY

Watford

Watford Borough Council · Sources checked 13 September 2026

Driver licensing

Official route/source found

Applicants must be over 21, have held a full UK or EEA driving licence for at least two years and have the right to work. Before the new-licence appointment they must pass the council knowledge test and an approved practical driving assessment, obtain a medical from their own GP or another GP at the same practice, and complete an online DBS check. The online application requires driving-licence and address evidence, right-to-work evidence and a certificate of good conduct after three continuous months or more living abroad. Knowledge, practical-test and medical evidence must be submitted before the appointment; licences may run for up to three years.

• Current driver licensing overview
• Online application evidence

Vehicle licensing

Official route/source found

The current 2026–2030 policy, effective 15 January 2026, requires M1 type approval, four doors, four to eight passenger seats and suitable wheelchair luggage capacity. First licensing limits are seven years for combustion-only and non-wheelchair petrol hybrids, or nine years for wheelchair-accessible petrol hybrids and electric vehicles with or without range extenders. Since April 2025 petrol/diesel-only vehicles must meet Euro 6 and petrol hybrids Euro 5; pre-January-2006 vehicles cannot be licensed. An MOT issued within 30 days is needed once the vehicle is at least one year old, alongside appropriate hire insurance, DVLA registration, tax and any required approval certificate. Private hire cannot resemble a taxi or carry a roof sign. Modifications need prior written permission. These are source-verified principal standards, not an exhaustive inspection checklist.

• Current adopted taxi policy: vehicle standards
• Taxi and PHV vehicle policies by licensing area (TAXI0108)

Operator licensing

Official route/source found

Five-year licences cost £757.98 new or £744.86 renewal. Supply a Basic disclosure under one month old for each applicant, partner or director, complaints and disability policies, disability/Equality Act and safeguarding training evidence, door-sign artwork and right-to-work evidence. Public waiting rooms require at least £5m public-liability cover. Original right-to-work documents are checked in person; all premises are inspected and planning permission may be needed. Supply a tax-check code if an operator licence was in force within the preceding twelve months. Renew at least 28 days before expiry; expired operators cannot accept or allocate bookings. The council lists a 28-day consultation and requires an express grant before trading.

• Current operator licensing checklist

Licensing fees

Official evidence found; detail still to confirm

The current vehicle page lists hackney-carriage licence £254.52, reduced to £131.50 for fully electric vehicles; private-hire licence £231.85, or £120 fully electric. Plate bracket £21.50, replacement plate £9.50, vehicle transfer £20; vinyl door-sign pair £18.36, magnetic pair £24.48. Card payment only. No effective date is printed. The page contradicts itself on address-change charges (£7.20 in prose, £8 in the cost list), so that charge is withheld.

• Current council licensing charges

Taxi tariff

Official evidence found; detail still to confirm

The council's currently published fare card says effective 1 December 2017. Tariffs 1/2 cover one to five passengers and tariffs 3/4 six or more. Day is 06:00–23:00; night is 23:00–06:00, with the night tariff also applying on public holidays. The card uses distance-or-time pulses and changes pulse size at stated meter-fare thresholds.

• Watford table of fares (2017-12-01)

Mandatory qualifications

Official route/source found

All new drivers must complete the training day and disability-awareness training and pass every knowledge paper. Hackney route questions require 35/40, private hire 9/12; everyone needs 12/15 rules, 4/5 Highway Code and 5/5 arithmetic. Hackney applicants cannot use navigation aids; private hire applicants may use a paper map but not internet or satnav. Retakes repeat all test papers, not training already passed. The linked practical/medical page requires a driving assessment from Diamond, Green Penny, Blue Lamp Trust or Vision, valid for one year, and a medical from the registered GP practice, valid six months. The current 2026–2030 policy, effective15January2026 and publication edition28August2026, closes the refresher gap: all driver applicants pass designated training in customer service, rules, disability/equality/dementia, passenger safeguarding (CSE, county lines, slavery, trafficking, extremism), and driver safety/crime reporting. Equivalent training exemptions require council acceptance. Existing drivers repeat training every3years and take a written test afterward. Knowledge passes expire after6months if no driver application is submitted; English competence is assessed through training/testing without separate proof. Wheelchair-vehicle drivers demonstrate equipment use at inspection. Group2 medical renewals are at45, five-yearly to65, then annually; DBS Update Service checks every6months. Late renewals normally repeat new-applicant requirements except hackney routes, which must be retaken after6years away.

• Practical and medical requirements
• Knowledge training and testing