Under the terms of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 a private hire car driver requires to be licensed.
In order to apply for a private hire car driver's licence, the applicant will require to have held throughout the period of 12 months immediately preceding any application, a full driver’s licence issued under the Road Traffic Act 1988, section 87(1).
Please note you are required to submit a copy of the photocard of your DVLA licence with your application form. You may be aware from 8 June 2015 the paper part of your DVLA licence became obsolete and to view your personal driving licence information you have to visit the website www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence. To process your application, the Licensing Unit will require to view your personal driving licence information. Please follow the undernoted steps to retrieve an access code for you to detail on your application which will allow us to view your driving information. The access code is only valid for 21 days; therefore the application detailing the access code must reach this office prior to the access code expiring.
If you require further information please visit www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-share-your-driving-licence-information
Should the licence be granted it would be for a maximum of three years, however, a licence may be granted for a shorter period should the Local Government Licensing Panel so decide.
Please note that part of the application process for a private hire car driver's licence is that the applicant is required to sit and pass a Street Knowledge Test prior to commencement of the consultation in respect of the application. You can find a mock Street Knowledge Test and answers via the link to the left detailed under further information.
In addition, you may wish to note that following changes introduced by the Immigration Act 2016, it is a requirement for all applicants for either a Taxi Driver’s Licence or a Private Hire Car Driver’s Licence to provide evidence of their immigration status proving the right to live and work in the UK in a face-to-face meeting with Licensing staff. Please refer to the application form for a list of acceptable documents to be produced.
There is a minimum period of 28 days consultation on any application and you should take this into account when submitting your form. In the event of observations/objections to the application being received, it may be necessary to refer the application to the Licensing Panel for determination and this process will take longer.
If you wish to submit your application form together with documentary evidence of your immigration status and sit the Street Knowledge Test at the same time, please telephone the Licensing Unit in advance for an appointment.
Please note that in the event of an application being refused, the application fee is non-refundable.
For further information on taxi licensing please contact the Licensing Unit.