Taxi & minicab licence

Local authorities are responsible for licensing hackney carriages, private hire vehicles, drivers and private hire operators.

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Taxi licensing - Coronavirus updates

The latest information regarding taxi licensing in Northumberland, and how this is impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

The following COVID guidance pages have been updated:


Please check the drop down boxes below for the new online renewal application forms and information about renewing your license.
To renew your hackney carriage / private hire drivers licence, please click here which will take you to the new online application form.

As part of the application process, you will need to attach the required documents including your driver's licence, passport, bank statement and council tax bill. 

Please note that you will need to provide proof of payment with your application, therefore you are required to pay the licence fee before you complete the online application form. Payment can be made using the clicking here. 

If you require a DBS Certificate the fee is £146 for one licence or £180 for two licences.  

If you are on the DBS update service, the fees are as follows:  
  • One year - £85 single licence (£119 two licences)  
  • Two years - £122 single licence (£156 two licences) 
  • Three years - £159 single licence (£193 two licences)  
For any additional badges it is an price of £34 added onto the price of one badge.

If you are on the DBS update service, you will need to take a copy of your DBS certificate to add to the application. If you are not on the DBS update service, you will need to apply for a new DBS.  

You can apply for a new DBS by clicking here.

Organisation reference:  NCCPPL  
Password: NCC 

You will also need to provide us with a DVLA activation code which you can get by clicking here. This code is case sensitive, please record as capital letters or small case letters.
To renew your private hire vehicle licence, please click here which will take you to the new online application form.

The fee for a hackney carriage/private hire vehicle licence is £241 or where the vehicle is LPG or bio-diesel, £241. 

Please note that you will need to provide proof of payment with your application, therefore you are required to pay the licence fee before you complete the online application form. 

Payment can be made by clicking here.  

Please book your MOT/Compliance test at one of the Northumberland County Council garages below: -
  • Alnwick Depot – 01670 624392  
  • Stakeford Depot – 01670 622937  
  • Tyne Mills Depot – 01670 623746  
Should you require any further information, please contact us at licensing@northumberland.gov.uk.
To renew your hackney carriage vehicle licence, please click here which will take you to the new online application form.
We are now processing new driver applications. Please email licensing@northumberland.gov.uk to book your knowledge test and Child & Adult Sexual Exploitation Training (CASE). Once you have passed the knowledge/locality test a member of the team will send you a private hire and/or hackney carriage drivers application form together with a group 2 medical application to be completed by your GP. Applicants should enquire with their GP as soon as possible as to whether they can access appointments for medical certificates. Licences cannot be granted without satisfactory medical certificates. 

 

Knowledge tests

You will need to pass a knowledge test which is now remote on a one to one basis and conducted via a virtual meeting using either microsoft teams or Google meet. To book a knowledge test please email licensing@northumberland.gov.uk A member of the team will take your payment and book you onto the next available test or at a time convenient to you. Please note there is a short waiting list at present. 

Child & Adult Sexual Exploitation Training (CASE)

As a temporary measure, CASE training is also currently being conducted remotely. To book onto the training please email licensing@northumberland.gov.uk A member of the team will take your payment and book you onto the next available training session. 
Applications are being processed but proprietors should contact the licensing section to discuss. 
 
The preferred contact method with the licensing department is by e-mail: 

Hackney Carriages

A hackney carriage is a public transport vehicle with no more than eight passenger seats and is licensed for customers to hire. It may stand at ranks, be hailed in the street by members of the public, or can be used on a pre-booked basis.

Click here to read the hackney carriage and private hire licensing policy. 
 
As a result of local government reorganisation in Northumberland, there are currently six hackney carriage zones:

  1. Alnwick  
  2. Berwick-upon-Tweed  
  3. Blyth Valley  
  4. Castle Morpeth  
  5. Tynedale 
  6. Wansbeck  

A hackney carriage licensed in one zone may not be licensed for hire in another in Northumberland, or elsewhere in the country. Relevant bylaws apply to each zone, to control the conduct of both proprietors and drivers. 
The law allows a council to require that a hackney carriage is clearly identified through design features. The council has applied standards for hackney carriages to ensure they are: 

  • suitable in type, size and design 
  • in a suitable mechanical condition 
  • safe 
  • comfortable 

 

In addition to the above general requirements, the council has exercised its discretion to apply the following standards: 

  • Clear display of a licence plate provided by the council on the exterior of the vehicle. It must be securely attached to the rear of the vehicle by rivets, bolts or screws, an alternative location may be agreed upon to accommodate the vehicle design. 
  • Fitted with an approved taxi meter and sealed to the satisfaction of the council. 
  • Clear display of a council-supplied door marker, placed centrally on each of the front doors of the vehicle. The markers are to be securely fixed to the vehicle doors at all times. 
  • Fitted with a roof sign of a particular size and design. Please see here for more details about Hackney Carriage roof signs. 
  • Display the vehicle licensing details inside the vehicle in a form provided by the council. 
  • Permit any passenger to communicate with the driver, either directly or through an approved communication system. 
  • Have adequate space for luggage and folded wheelchair. 
  • Each individual seat must be a minimum of 400mm (16") in width. The council may reduce the permitted number of passengers specified by the vehicle manufacturer. The licensing officer will determine this if the seating doesn’t conform, or for other reasons associated with the comfort and safety of passengers.
Applications for a new hackney carriage vehicle licence must demonstrate a vehicle suitable in type, size and construction to carry people in wheelchairs. 

  

 

New Hackney Carriage: 

Hackney Carriage vehicle replacement: 

 
Fee Price
Annual vehicle fee (including door insignia and plate) £241
Annual LPG fee (including door insignia and plate) £241
Replacement plate £23
Replacement insignias £9 each
 

Private Hire vehicles

Private hire vehicles must have no more than eight passenger seats and must be booked in advance through a licensed private hire operator. They cannot be hired in the street.

Click here to read the hackney carriage and private hire licensing policy. 
  

Any vehicle used as a private hire vehicle must be licensed under section 48(1)(a) of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, which requires the council to be satisfied that any vehicle is: 

 

  • Suitable in type, size and design. 

  • Not have a design and appearance that may lead a person to believe it is a hackney carriage. 

  • In a suitable, safe mechanical condition. 

  • Comfortable. 

 

In addition to the statutory requirements as set out above, the council has exercised its discretion and private hire vehicles must also: 

 

  • Not be fitted with a roof sign of any description. This could lead a person to believe that the vehicle is a hackney carriage. 

  • Clearly display a licence plate provided by the council on the exterior of the rear of the vehicle. This must be securely attached to the vehicle by rivets, bolts or screws. 

  • Display a door marker supplied by the council centrally on each of the front doors of the vehicle. The markers should be securely fixed to vehicle doors at all times. 

  • Display the vehicle licensing details inside the vehicle in a form provided by the council. 

  • Permit any passenger to communicate with the driver, either directly or through an approved communication system. 

  • Have a boot or load carrying area with adequate space for the safe and secure storage of luggage. Saloon or estate vehicles should not have this area within the passenger compartment. This area should never interfere with the safe access and exit of passengers and the minimum space required must allow a folded wheelchair to be carried. 

 

If the vehicle is fitted with a meter, it must be properly tested, sealed and approved by the council. 
The seating capacity of the vehicle will be determined by the council. Each individual seat must be a minimum of 400mm (16") in width. If the seating does not conform to this, or if the comfort and safety of the passengers is questioned, the council may reduce the permitted number of passengers. 

New Private Hire: 

Private Hire Vehicle Replacement: 

 
Fees Price
Annual vehicle fee (including door insignia and plate) £241
Annual LPG fee (including door insignia and plate) £241
Replacement plate £23
Replacement insignias £9 each
Vehicle transfer between licensees fee £33
 

Drivers

To issue a licence, the council must be satisfied the applicant is fit to hold a driver’s licence and has been entitled to drive a motor car for at least 12 months.

The council’s duty is to ensure that conditions are met, and each applicant must be able to demonstrate this. In addition to the statutory requirements, the council will exercise its discretion and all applicants are subject to additional conditions. 
 
All new applicants for driver’s licences will be required to: 

Please click here for a sample list of questions you may get on the Hackney Carriage test.  
 
DBS Applications: 
We are now offering applicants the opportunity to use an online system to submit DBS applications. 
 
The website address is: disclosure.capitarvs.co.uk/nereo/ 
The organisation reference is: NCCPPL 
Password:  NCC 
 
Please click here for guidance notes on this system. 
 
For specific queries regarding medical issues or criminal convictions, please contact the licensing section for informal advice. 

National Register (NR3) 
 
Northumberland County Council has signed up to the national register of revoked and refused hackney carriage and private hire drivers (known as NR3). As such, any driver who has had their drivers licence revoked, or had their application refused, will have their details recorded on this register. 
 
This is being done to protect the public by ensuring that licensing authorities are aware of drivers who have been refused or revoked when determining whether a new licence application should be granted. 
 
If you have had or have your driver’s licence revoked, or a driver’s application refused, your details will be submitted to the NR3 register. 
 
For more information on this matter please refer to our policy on the National Register of Taxi Licence Revocations and Refusals (NR3). 

New driver: 

Driver fees Price
Driver annual fee (including badge) £85
Driver fee (two year licence) £122
Driver fee (three year licence) £159
Replacement badge £12
Additional drivers for Hackney Carriage and Private Hire £30
Replacement badge £12
Driver knowledge test (initial test) £23
Driver knowledge test (re-sit) £23
DBS application fee £38
DBS admin fee £23

Operators

A Private Hire vehicle may only be dispatched to a customer by a person or a company that holds an operator's licence. Such a licence permits the operator to invite or accept bookings for a Private Hire vehicle.

Private Hire Operator application form.
Proposed opterator fees for 2023
  • Operator (five years) - £502
  • Operator (one year) - £110

Fees schedule licences

Here you will find information on licensing fees.

Wheelchair accessible vehicles

Guidance for wheelchair users in private hire vehicles and taxis.

The Equality Act 2010 imposes a duty on drivers of designated vehicles (both hackney carriage and private hire) when dealing with passengers travelling in wheelchairs.

It shall be a condition of a hackney carriage proprietors licence for a wheelchair accessible vehicle, that the proprietor shall ensure at all times that the vehicle is driven by a “competent person” who has received “suitable and sufficient” training in the correct operation and use of any ramps, lifting equipment, fixings or other equipment designed to assist with the access and egress of passengers using wheelchairs or their comfort and safety when being transported in the vehicle

Our Taxi Policy states that:  Where an application is made for a new hackney carriage vehicle licence, the vehicle shall be suitable in type, size and construction to carry persons in wheelchairs. Where a licence is in force for a wheelchair accessible vehicle, proprietors shall only be permitted to replace the vehicle, with a vehicle that is suitable in type, size and construction to carry persons in wheelchairs. The council has also agreed additional vehicle conditions dealing with other matters which are attached at Appendix A. Additional conditions may be attached to the grant of a licence as are considered reasonably necessary on an individual basis. The council is committed to meeting the needs of disabled people and will continue to consult and work with hackney carriage vehicle proprietors, disability organisations and appropriate December 2015 12 stakeholders with the aim of producing an accessibility policy and suitable disability awareness training.
Under section 167 of The Equality Act 2010, this public register shows all designated wheelchair-accessible vehicles that are approved by us and are capable of carrying a reference-size wheelchair: Click here to view our list of designated vehicles.

Any driver of one of the designated vehicles on our list must:
  • not refuse to carry passengers sitting in their wheelchairs
  • not refuse assistance to those passengers
  • not charge passengers in wheelchairs extra for their journey
Failure to comply with these requirements would mean a driver would commit an offence under The Equality Act 2010, which on summary of conviction is subject to a fine not exceeding £1000.

We can exempt drivers from duties to assist passengers in wheelchairs if they are satisfied that it is appropriate to do so on medical grounds or because the driver’s physical condition makes it impossible or unreasonably difficult for them to comply with the duties.

Statutory guidance

GOV.UK statutory guidance for wheelchair users of private hire vehicles and taxis.

New Euro 6 requirements

Information on Euro 6

From the 1 April 2024 All vehicles licensed by the council shall meet the following requirements; 
1 April 2024 any new vehicles which are to be licensed are required to be a maximum of 4 years and will be required to be Euro 6 compliant 
1  April 2027 existing licensed vehicles (excluding wheelchair access vehicles) coming up for renewal will need to be 8 years old or less. 
1  April 2029 existing wheelchair access licensed vehicles (excluding wheelchair vehicles) coming up for renewal will need to be 8 years old or less.
 

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