Answers to help you understand the changes to our taxi licensing policy.
We have prepared answers that can help you understand what the changes to our taxi licensing policy means for applicants.
All policy requirements come into force on 1 July 2026.
We expect that all licence holders follow the requirements, including licence conditions, from this date. We can provide support and guidance to help you meet and understand the requirements.
All licence holders should familiarise themselves with the conditions as some may have changed.
Please send an email to licensing@solihull.gov.uk clearly stating:
We will not be able to deal with walk-ins so please make an appointment.
Ideally 4 to 6 weeks in advance.
Ideally 2 to 4 weeks in advance.
Please don’t leave your renewal until the last minute. If there’s a reason that prevents us from granting the licence on the day of your appointment, this will allow us to undertake the necessary checks or investigations and avoid any inconvenience.
If your previous licence has expired, you'll be unable to work until your renewal has been granted.
A licence can only be renewed after expiry if:
If you believe you meet both criteria, please email licensing@solihull.gov.uk with your circumstances. You should provide any documentary evidence to support your case.
All applicants and drivers are assessed against the DVLA group 2 standards.
You must provide a medical certificate when you first apply and then:
Your licence will be granted for a up to 3 years, so you will need to make sure you provide the certificate to us at the appropriate time. If you fail to do so, we may suspend your licence or take further action against you.
If you have or develop a medical condition, you may be asked to provide more frequent medical certificates and or/ further information about your condition.
You can take a medical form to any General Medical Council (GMC) registered medical practitioner (which may be your own GP).
The person who completes your medical assessment will check your medical records. If there’s any reason that may affect your driving as a private hire or hackney carriage driver, they may not grant you a certificate.
They may also grant a certificate for a limited length of time, or with specific restrictions.
If it meets DVLA Group 2 criteria we will accept it, provided it is dated within 1 month.
As outlined in your licence conditions, you must stop driving immediately and tell us within 48 hours.
As outlined in the vehicle licence conditions, the driver must undertake a daily walk around of the vehicle and complete a checklist - these records must be kept for 15 months.
You must inform us in writing and return your ID badge and paper licence.
If there are outstanding matters, they will still be dealt with. If not, your licence will be kept on file until it expires.
Please follow the instructions on our website.
You no longer need to provide evidence of safeguarding, or disability awareness training. This will be covered in the training we provide.
Yes, you will need to:
You will also need to complete a refresher training course.
You just need to provide your certificate so that we can check your record on the update service.
Yes, but you must make sure it fulfils all the correct criteria.
Enhanced:
We have an agreement with Taxi Plus to undertake our checks for us.
They take annual payment from a credit or debit card that you register when signing up.
Please ensure your card details are up to date, as your licence will be suspended if no payment is provided.
We will regularly check your record, and if any new information is found, we will investigate it and may suspend your licence while doing so.
There will be modules on:
The training will take 1.5 hours, followed by a 30- minute test. The test has 24 questions, and you must get 18 correct to pass.
You can retake the full training session or just the test as many times as you need to pass. However, your renewal application will not be granted until you pass.
If there are any concerns from the training officer about your ability as a driver, this will be escalated to an enforcement officer who may refer you to a panel or committee for further action.
You need to provide a Basic DBS certificate.
If the applicant is a company, each partner or director will need a Basic DBS certificate. This is also required on renewal or transfer.
We will check Companies House to verify the information you have provided.
No, provided you are signed up to the DBS update service and we can check your record.
Yes, the basic DBS is a requirement for anyone that does not hold a driver’s licence with this authority, and it must be produced each time you apply for a vehicle licence.
A HPI check is required every time, whether applying for a new licence or a renewal.
It should be dated within 1 month, and you can get it from several different providers, but we suggest using a reputable service.
For hackney carriage proprietor’s only, you will need to provide a meter calibration certificate.
For many years it has been a policy requirement for hackney carriage vehicle proprietor’s licence holders to ‘upgrade’ their vehicle each time they change it.
As we want an equal standard across our leet, his rule now applies to private hire vehicle proprietor’s licence holders too.
You are no longer required to display livery, and the vehicle licence conditions also outline what is acceptable to display on or in the vehicle.
No, the vehicle licence plates must remain in the correct positions on the vehicle (as specified by the conditions) unless an authorised officer instructs their removal.
Yes, but they must:
You must complete a notification of vehicle hire form and provide proof of insurance to be kept on record.
All applicants must undertake Disability Awareness Training.
We have also made it a requirement for applicants to provide the contact details of referees but that we will take up references.
No, your operator premises must be in the Solihull borough.
Provided there is a specific address where post can be sent, a lockable area/cabinet that only you have access to, and there is somewhere suitable to display the licence if granted, we will accept this as suitable premises assuming the officer is satisfied when they inspect.
Officers will also carry out inspections during the life of the licence. If the premises are no longer deemed suitable, advice will be given, and further action may be taken.