Taxi Driving Tests Guide

Taxi Driving Tests Guide from Lichfield Driving School

Taxi Driver Qualification Process

Local Councils each set their own qualifying criteria to become a taxi driver, which can include:

• Disclosure and Barring Service Check, DBS, formerly a Criminal Records Bureau Check, CRB
• Highway Code Theory
• Taxi Rules Theory
• Test of numeracy, fare calculation
• Customer service
• Geographical knowledge of the area
• Driving ability

The exact criteria for each council is usually available on their website, some councils will include tests on some aspects that other councils do not assess.

The theory elements of the taxi driver qualifying process will need private study, particularly the geographical knowledge test when a council includes it.

Lichfield Driving School can offer driving tuition to help prepare candidates for a Taxi Driving Test, both Hackney Carriage, Black Cab and Private Hire.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check, DBS, formerly a Criminal Records Bureau Check, CRB

The council will be able to give information about how to apply for your DBS check

The criteria that a council deems to make a candidate eligible to be a taxi driver or not will vary with different councils. More serious offences or recent offences are more likely to result in a rejected application though.

Highway Code Theory

Councils vary as to whether they assess Highway Code knowledge or not, and how detailed the test is.

The most cost effective method of studying for this test is going to be self study for most people.

Test of numeracy, fare calculation

When this test is included, it is usually set as a test of basic numeracy, to ensure that a taxi driver would be able to calculate a fare correctly and be able to give the correct change.

Taxi Rules Theory

This element typically includes questions relating to regulations specifically about the legal requirements relating to Black Cab or Private Hire

Customer service

Some councils run this as a course rather than a test.

Important points to remember when considering customer service include:

• Treat your customer how you would like to be treated
• Why should your customer come back to you, and not take their business somewhere else?
• A customer receiving poor service is likely to tell others.

Geographical knowledge of the area

This test if included by a council in the taxi driver qualification process can vary with different councils.

Some councils set a geographical knowledge test that is very demanding, and requires a very detailed local knowledge.

The geographical knowledge test can include questions of the type:

• Explain the route, road by road between 2 landmarks
• Identify the location of landmarks by the road that they are on and the nearest junction

Test of Taxi Driving Ability

As with all other aspects of the taxi driver qualification process, there can be variations between local councils

The Taxi Driving Test is generally set at a more demanding standard than the learner driver test

Some councils will include motorway driving as part of the driving test

Some councils will include parking or other manoeuvres as part of the driving test

Lichfield Driving School can offer driving tuition to help prepare candidates for a Taxi Driving Test, both Hackney Carriage, Black Cab and Private Hire.

Pages in the Taxi Driver Training section of the Lichfield Driving School website:

Sections of the Lichfield Driving School website: