Enhanced DBS check for Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Drivers

DBS CHECK

Please note: we can only carry out DBS checks for individuals who have applied to us for a driver's licence. If you are applying to a different council, you must contact that council to arrange your DBS check.

All applicants for hackney carriage or private hire driver's licences must obtain an enhanced disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS - formerly the Criminal Records Bureau), both for new licences or renewals of existing licences.

The information divulged on the DBS certificate will help us when we decide your application, as we have to be satisfied that applicants are 'fit and proper' to drive taxis or private hire vehicles before we can grant a licence.

Taxi and private hire drivers are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. This means that any convictions or cautions can be taken into consideration, even if they would ordinarily be considered 'spent', due to our obligation to ensure the safety of the public. Please see our Suitability Policy .

The current fee for an enhanced disclosure is £44, and this is payable by applicants at the time of application.

All our licensed drivers are required to undergo annual DVLA and DBS checks. As each DBS check will be subject to the £44 fee, it is recommended that you consider signing up to the DBS update service.

DBS Update Service

The Update Service allows you to pay a subscription fee of £13 direct to the Disclosure and Barring Service, in return for ongoing monitoring of the official records for information relating to you. Subscribers will be able to give employers and licensing authorities permission to carry out a status check, in order to verify whether an original DBS certificate remains valid, even if it is several years later.

We will allow taxi and private hire drivers to use the Update Service as an alternative to obtaining a new certificate. In such cases, the original certificate must:

• be an enhanced level disclosure (standard or basic disclosures are not acceptable)
• give the job title as 'taxi driver', 'private driver' or similar (certificates issued for unrelated jobs are now acceptable)
• include the words 'Other Workforce' under job title (this indicates the types of checks that have been carried out)

You must have subscribed within 19 days of the issue of your last certificate. If you let your subscription lapse, or if the police records show new information about you since your certificate was issued, we will not be able to obtain a status check, and you will need to apply for a new disclosure certificate.

More information

For more information about DBS checks, please visit the Disclosure and Barring Service website, or contact the Disclosure and Barring Service on 03000 200 190.