Taxi licensing best practice consultation

We currently require that a driver’s medical report should be signed by their own registered medical practice. Only in exceptional circumstances and with our consent can it be signed by a General Medical Council (GMC) registered doctor who is not part of the driver’s own medical practice.  Trade representatives have reported inconsistencies in the availability of GP appointments and large differences between the costs charged for the required medical examinations.  The BPG states that the medical assessment does not need to be the driver’s own GP. Although not a requirement, the BPG also recommends that the doctor completing the assessment should have access to the driver’s full medical history.

Drivers licensed by the Council are required to produce a medical when first applying and every three years when the licence is renewed up to the age of 65 years and annually thereafter. The BPG recommendation is to follow the DVLA requirements on Group 2 licensing (lorry and bus drivers) which only requires a medical assessment on first application and then every five years from the age of 45 until 65 years.

Both the Council and the DVLA Group 2 licensing rules require an annual medical from the age of 65 years.

Our policy currently states that applicants must have held a full driving licence for a continuous period of at least three years to apply for a taxi or private hire driver licence.  The law requires that applicants for private hire vehicle driver licences must have been authorised to drive for at least 12 months.

Drivers of hackney carriages can make themselves available for either immediate hire (parking on ranks and plying for hire) or advanced booking (private hire).  Licensed hackney carriage vehicles may be used for private hire work throughout the country without the need to work through a licensed operator. When working outside of the Buckinghamshire Council area, drivers licensed by us are not subject to our maximum fares.  

There are concerns that some applicants obtain a hackney carriage vehicle licence but then use the vehicle mainly or only for private hire work outside of the Buckinghamshire Council area. This has a potential impact on the travelling public who may struggle to obtain hackney carriage vehicles, particularly at peak times.  The BPG recommends that hackney carriage licence applicants should declare their intention to work locally, and the applicant’s residential address should be taken into account when assessing that declaration.

Evidence of criminal convictions committed overseas will not show on the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate that we require of taxi drivers.  Under current policy, applicants for licences are therefore required to produce a 'certificate of good conduct' or 'police certificates' if they have been absent from the UK for a continuous period of three months of more since the age of 18 for each country where they have been resident.  This policy requirement reflects statutory guidance issued by the Department for Transport to promote passenger safety.

However, the Home Office only requires those applying for entry clearance to the UK to provide these certificates if the person has lived for 12 months or more in another country, within the last 10 years, since the age of 18.  While this is not a matter referred to within the BPG, we are aware that our current policy can cause problems with the licensing process.

The Council recently passed a resolution to ensure that all new applicants and existing holders of Council licences (including hackney carriage drivers, private hire drivers and operators and proprietors of alcohol and entertainment and gambling premises) understand that verbal, physical and emotional abuse of women and girls cannot be tolerated.

To help achieve this, we are considering requiring new applicants for driver and operator licences to declare as part of their application that they understand that verbal, physical and emotional abuse of women and girls is not tolerated.