Apply for Private Hire

Riders are registered for the purpose of protecting and ensuring the security of the general population and undergo a number of controls before obtaining their driving licences. Please have a look at the guidelines[PDF 42KB] before you apply. If you want to be licenced as either a hackney carriage or private hire drive, you must: Conduct an advanced Disclosure and Suspension Service (DBS) review that shows that you do not have penal sentences, or that you have been identified as a suitable individual by the CPS.

If you are applying to us for the first time, you must include an e-mail on your resume and we will e-mail you a clear user name and keyword to fill out your DBS resume on-line. As soon as your first review is completed, you must sign up for the DBS Update Service for the entire term of your license.

As well as your driver's license, you must present a photo of yourself and a second piece of evidence of address, e.g. an electricity bill or account card. You must obtain a BTEC / NVQ / VRQ license for passenger transport by cab or private hire or any other license authorized by the Council within one year of licensing.

If such a certificate is not passed, any request for extension will be rejected and may entail the revocation of licenses. Previously, claimants had the choices of a 1-year or 3-year Hackney Carriage or Private Hire Driver's License. As of April 1, 2018, the Licensing Service has abolished the 1-year license and the applicant can only apply for a 3-year license.

The amendment is the outcome of changes made by the Deregulation Act 2015, one of which should alter the length of Hackney Carriage and Private Hire driving licenses to 3 years instead of 1 year. The amendment was also intended to alleviate the administration burdens for the licensing department through the annual issue of cards, which had a negative impact on the effectiveness of the department.

A new driver cannot apply for a 3-year license until April 1, 2018. Existing one-year licensees expiring on or after 1 April 2018 may only apply for a three-year extension of their license.

There are no changes for present 3-year licensees, but they do not have the possibility to apply for a 12-month license after their license is up. License Service is available to obtain information by phone or in-person at the license counter at the Customer First Centre of the Blackpool Council on Corporation Street between 10 and 10 years of age.