RESEARCHED AUTHORITY
West Devon
West Devon Borough Council · Sources checked 13 September 2026
- Driver licensing
- Official route/source found
The council’s currently published policy guides its licensing decisions and applies a fit-and-proper-person assessment to hackney-carriage and private-hire driver applicants and existing licence holders, with public safety as the primary aim.
- Vehicle licensing
- Official route/source found
Private-hire vehicle applications require V5, hire-and-reward insurance, public-liability insurance evidence, an MOT and FTA-standard test certificate both issued within thirty days, Euro NCAP rating confirmation, application and fee. Renewals additionally require interim MOT and FTA certificates. Vehicles over ten years require a council inspection appointment as well. Confirm suitability with licensing@swdevon.gov.uk before applying. A transfer to a new proprietor requires the transfer application, fee, insurance and V5. Rear plate and internal front badge identify the licensed vehicle.
- Operator licensing
- Official evidence found; detail still to confirm
The council-hosted January 2023 policy sections 42–48 specify annual or five-year operator renewal, before expiry. Individuals/partners supply basic DBS within one month of application or renewal and annually thereafter; the existing-valid-DBS exemption contains an incorrect section cross-reference and is not silently reinterpreted. All named applicants, partners, directors and secretary declare convictions. Since 1 April 2023 booking/dispatch controllers need basic DBS, retained twelve months and supplied within seven days of request; the ex-offender policy is supplied within fourteen days. Public and employers' liability evidence is required except single-vehicle operators. Report specified arrests/charges/convictions/cautions/disqualifications/fixed penalties within 48 hours, ownership/partner/company-name changes within seven days, and base changes before moving. Bases are normally inside West Devon, with immediate-neighbour applications considered individually. This materially expands the prior application-page summary, but the defective DBS exemption and post-2023 consolidated currentness remain unresolved.
- Licensing fees
- Official route/source found
The current licensing fee page lists hackney vehicles at £193, private-hire vehicles £170 and electric vehicles £24. Driver initial application is £150; renewals are £150 for one year or £312 for three years. Knowledge test £50 and DBS £72 are separate rows. Private-hire operators pay £150 for one year or £500 for five years. Replacement plates cost £24, vehicle ownership transfer £60 and replacement driver badge £18.
- Taxi tariff
- Official evidence found; detail still to confirm
Tariff content checked 23 October 2026. West Devon’s own currently linked January 2023 policy, section 30.1, states that meters are not required and, when fitted, are calibrated to the company’s own fare table. This replaces the earlier caveat that the council’s own fare policy had not been recovered. It does not mean journeys are free, and neighbouring South Hams rates must not be substituted. Obtain the provider’s price; no universal council-scale model or national ranking is inferred.
- Mandatory qualifications
- Official evidence found; detail still to confirm
New dual-badge applicants need twelve months holding a full UK driving licence, a Devon Travel Academy driving assessment, Highway Code/local knowledge tests, own-GP/practice Group 2 medical, enhanced DBS and right-to-work evidence. Identification is checked at an interview. Drivers join the DBS Update Service after receiving the certificate. Safeguarding/disability training and refresher cadence are not established by this application-page review.
Withheld or still needing confirmation
- Current live HTML is linked from the driver application page. No effective date or vehicle licence duration is displayed in the fee rows; initial driver duration is not inferred from renewal durations. External assessment and medical costs may be additional.
- Operator-specific criminal checks, licence duration and current fee remain unverified; the page mixes vehicle renewal text into operator guidance.
- Section42.3 refers to41.2 rather than an unambiguously identified DBS clause; later consolidated policy/currentness unconfirmed.
- Qualification subset only; remaining training/refresher requirements not verified.
- Age/emissions acceptance limits and exact current fees not extracted; documentary requirements are not an exhaustive technical specification.
- Preserve prior verified fields.