Driver Licence Hackney Carriages and Private Hire Vehicles

Cheshire East Council issues a combined licence enabling drivers to drive both Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles. This joint drivers licence lasts up to a maximum of 3 years.

Anyone wanting to be a licensed driver within Cheshire East must be aware of our requirements before they start any part of the application process (including any formal qualifications). Please refer to our:

Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy - 2022 – 2027 (PDF, 1.6MB)

You are also required to pass the councils local knowledge test before making application for a licence. Completing the application process and providing the correct documentation does not guarantee that you will be granted a licence.

Apply

To become a licensed Joint Driver you will need to:

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All applicants must hold a level two (Regulated Qualifications Framework) qualification is a taxi licensing subject or  be enrolled on a course before they make application.

We will consider other qualifications at level 2 if they are on a similar topic. We would need to see the full specification for the course so we can decide if its suitable.

We will not issue a licence until the qualification has been passed and the certificate has been verified. Obtaining either qualification is not a guarantee that a licence will be granted.

You can choose to take the course with a number of colleges or training providers. To find out if your qualification is accredited you can check the Ofqual register.

We are mindful of the pressures that the NHS and GPs are currently experiencing. On that basis you can submit a declaration with your application instead of a medical. Please declare if you have had any medical issues using the Medical declaration form (MS Word, 51KB)

Provided we have no cause for concern your application will be processed and a licence issued. If you provide a declaration you will be required to provide a medical at a later date that will be confirmed by the Licensing Team.

alternatively if you are able to arrange a medical with your GP then please use the below two medical forms:

Please contact us on 0300 123 5015 to book your appointment for your disclosure and barring certificate. When attending your appointment please make sure bring with you your DBS acceptable documents (PDF, 186KB).

When you receive your completed DBS please bring your original certificate to either of our Customer Contact Centres at Delamere House, Crewe or Macclesfield Town Hall.

alternatively you can post your certificate to us at our Crewe address or deposit it through the letter box at either Macclesfield Town Hall, Delamere House, Crewe or the Municipal Buildings, Crewe. We will return the DBS by post or contact you for collection.


You are required to provide one colour passport sized photograph to be used for your badge if granted.

You will need to provide a Certificate Of Good conduct if:

  •  you have been living in the UK for less than 5 years at the time of your application or,
  • you have lived outside the UK in the last 5 years

You must get a certificate from the UK based Embassy for each country you have lived in within the last 5 years. The certificate must be in English or a certified English translation of the original.

We can only accept a Certificate Of Good Conduct which is less than 28 days old when you make your application for a joint driver licence.

Applicants must have held a driving licence granted under Part III of the Road Traffic Act 1988 for a period of 12 months or more (this includes UK and EEA licences).

To verify this and to confirm any driving endorsements or disqualifications you are required to request a code from the DVLA to be submitted to us with your application.

You can request the DVLA Code by visiting https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence or call the  DVLA on 0300 790 6802. 

We will reject your application if you fail to submit this information with your completed application form.

All applicants are required to pass the 3 parts of a theory test:

  1. a knowledge test of the Cheshire East area
  2. questions in relation to taxi legislation
  3. questions on the Highway Code

Applicants must show a suitable knowledge of the Borough before we will issue licence.

The Knowledge Test papers are split into three different areas. Congleton, Crewe and Nantwich and Macclesfield Zones.

The paper you choose will determine which questions you will have to answer on Section one of the paper.

The areas the papers cover are:

  • Congleton (Congleton, Sandbach, Middlewich and rural areas)
  • Crewe and Nantwich (Crewe, Nantwich, Shavington and rural areas)
  • Macclesfield (Macclesfield, Wilmslow, Knutsford, Alderley Edge and rural areas)

Book your knowledge test

Book your knowledge test online form using the button below. To complete the form you will need a credit or debit card to pay the £50.00 fee.

The fee is non refundable and you can not transfer your booking. 

Book your knowledge test

Taking the knowledge test

You should allow 2 hours to complete the test process and documentation.

You must bring:

  • your DVLA driving licence
  • your passport

As a result of the COVID 19 pandemic we have modified the way we are conducting our knowledge tests. Please see our Taxi Driver Knowledge Tests during COVID 19 Guidance (PDF, 26KB)

Test remarking

If you wish to have your test remarked there is a fee of £20.00 which can be paid over the phone on 0300 123 5015

Applications and the supporting documents can be submitted by email or by post. If you are posting your application to the Licensing Team please do not enclose any original documents unless this has been specifically requested by a member of the licensing team.

New grant application forms

All new grant applicants must pass the Licensing Teams knowledge test before submitting an application. If you have passed your knowledge test please submit the pass off letter as evidence of this.

Renewal application forms

Fees for new Joint Hackney Carriage/Private Hire Driver applicants

Fees to be paid when submitting your application:

  • An enhanced DBS check £60.00
  • DVLA check £5.00

Fee to be paid upon the confirmation that a licence can be granted

  • Grant of licence fee £120.00

Fees for Joint Hackney Carriage/Private Hire Driver renewals

Fees to be paid when submitting a renewal application:

  • An enhanced DBS check £60.00
  • DVLA check £5.00
  • Grant of licence Fee £140.00

Payment can be made by card or by cheque. Cheques must be made payable to ‘Cheshire East Council’. You can make card payment over the phone on 0300 123 5015.

From 4 April 2022, the government have introduced new tax checks that require councils to undertake Tax Conditionality checks when processing applications for licensed hackney carriage, private hire or joint driver licence.

This has been brought in via the Finance Act 2021, which contains a clause that has introduced the Tax Conditionality checks to certain licence applications. The check is solely to confirm that you are registered for tax and does not give any financial details to the Council.

You will be required to produce a tax code if you’re:

  • renewing a licence
  • applying for the same type of licence you previously held, that ceased to be valid less than a year ago
  • applying for the same type of licence you already hold with another licensing authority

For guidance and details on how to obtain a tax code please visit the GOV.UK Complete a tax check webpage.

Contact us

Contact Licensing

licensing@cheshireeast.gov.uk

Call our Licensing Customer Service Team on 0300 123 5015 during office hours, 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday, if you're unable to use our forms.


Licensing Team
Cheshire East Council

Regulatory Services and Health C/O
Delamere House, Delamere Street

Crewe
Cheshire
CW1 2LL

Page last reviewed: 24 February 2023