Who Transport for London licenses
All 32 London boroughs and the City of London — Sutton and Wallington, Hillingdon and Northwood, Croydon, Bromley, Ealing, Barnet, Camden, Newham and the rest.
Transport for London rules applied — one authority for all 32 boroughs and the City of London, a compulsory DBS Update Service subscription, and a hard three-month cliff once your licence has expired.
What to renew, and how often
Cycles are Transport for London’s where Transport for London publishes them, and the UK statutory duty otherwise. Anything Transport for London does not publish a cycle for is left off this table rather than guessed at.
| Requirement | Cycle | Evidence to keep |
|---|---|---|
DBS Update Service subscription Keep the annual subscription live and record its renewal date TfL requires every taxi and private hire driver to register with and subscribe to the DBS Update Service (£16 a year). Keep it live — subscribers are not asked for a fresh enhanced DBS at renewal. You still need a brand-new certificate if you change your name or pick up any new conviction, caution or warning. | Yearly | DBS certificate number + Update Service renewal date |
Group 2 medical Assessed to the DVLA Group 2 standard — over 45, a fresh examination if your last one was more than three years ago TfL assesses against the DVLA Group 2 standard on its own medical declaration, completed by a practitioner with access to your full medical records. Over 45 you need a fresh examination if your last one was more than three years ago; an active DVLA Group 2 licence, or a TfL medical done while under 45, can exempt you. | Every 3 years | Medical certificate + the accepted next-due date |
Taximeter certificate Meter sealed, set to the current tariff, certificate carried in the vehicle | Yearly | Meter installation/compliance certificate |
Plates, signs & badge on display Plates, door signs, fare chart, complaints info and your badge — visible whenever the car works | Ongoing | Photo proof of displays (retake after any change of car) |
Designated WAV duties If your vehicle is on the council's s167 list, the s165 wheelchair duties apply to every hiring | Ongoing | Your vehicle's entry on the designated list |
Assistance dogs carried Carry assistance dogs at no extra charge — unless you hold a displayed medical exemption | Ongoing | Nothing if you comply; the exemption certificate if you hold one |
Medical exemption certificate If exempt from wheelchair/dog duties: certificate displayed in the vehicle, review date tracked | Council-set date | The exemption notice + its expiry/review date |
Sensible hours, logged Keep logging shifts — your hours record is your protection after any incident | Ongoing | Shift log with start/end times (your logbook) |
Lost property routine Quick search after every hiring; hand items in within 24 hours and keep a note | Ongoing | A dated note per item — what, when, where handed in |
Records an inspector can ask for
- DBS certificate number and issue date
- Update Service subscription and its annual renewal date
- A note of each six-month status check (date + outcome)
- Training certificate or pass record
- Completion date and the refresher due date (three years on in Cambridge)
- The medical certificate itself (council keeps the original)
- Date it was done and the next due date printed on your licence
- Any follow-up the council asked for
- Certificate of compliance and the next test date
- Taximeter installation/compliance certificate
- Photo proof that plates, signs, fare chart and badge are displayed
- Whether your vehicle is on the council's designated WAV list
- Any medical exemption certificate, its display and review date
- A short note of any hiring where a wheelchair or aid couldn't safely be carried
- Shift start/end times and breaks (your logbook does this)
- Lost property notes — what, when, where it was handed in
Contacting Transport for London
- Email: [email protected]
- Licensing portal: https://tph.tfl.gov.uk/
TfL licenses drivers across all 32 London boroughs and the City of London — your borough council does not. Renew through the TPH portal: TfL treats a renewal made more than three months after the previous licence expired as a brand-new application.
Common questions
Which council licenses taxi drivers in London?
None of them. Transport for London is the licensing authority for taxi (black cab) and private hire drivers across all 32 London boroughs and the City of London. Whether you work out of Wallington, Northwood, Bromley or Hackney, your badge, your vehicle licence and every renewal go through TfL — your borough council's licensing team handles other trades, not yours.
How do I renew my London taxi or private hire driver licence?
Renew through TfL's Taxi and Private Hire portal at tph.tfl.gov.uk before your current licence expires. Keep your DBS Update Service subscription live — TfL does not ask subscribers for a fresh enhanced DBS at renewal — and make sure you still meet the medical standard. TfL states that any driver applying to renew more than three months after the previous licence expired is treated as a new applicant.
Do I need a new medical to renew with TfL?
TfL assesses drivers against the DVLA Group 2 medical standard, on a declaration completed by a registered practitioner with access to your full medical records. If you are over 45 and your last medical was more than three years ago, you need a fresh examination. Holding an active DVLA Group 2 licence, or having completed a TfL medical while under 45, can exempt you.
Do I have to be on the DBS Update Service to drive in London?
Yes. TfL requires all applicants for a taxi or private hire driver's licence to register with and subscribe to the DBS Update Service, which costs £16 a year. Let it lapse and you are back to paying for a full enhanced check (£52 online, £54 on paper) — and you will need a new certificate anyway if you change your name or receive any new conviction, caution or warning.
What does a London private hire driver licence cost?
TfL publishes a £138 non-refundable application fee and a £205 grant-of-licence fee. On top of that a private hire applicant pays for the enhanced DBS check (£52 online, £54 on paper), the DBS Update Service (£16 a year), the topographical skills assessment (£40), the English speaking and listening assessment (£40) and the SERU assessment (£40), plus the medical, whose fee is set by the examining doctor and runs to around £80. Black-cab applicants pay the Knowledge fees instead: £225 for the All-London written exam and £425 as a one-off appearance fee.
Where these figures come from
Every fee, cycle and rule on this page is taken from Transport for London’s own published pages, last checked in September 2026:
The other half: tax and expenses
Licensing keeps you on the road; Self Assessment keeps the money straight. Our guide to self-employed taxi driver tax and expenses covers what you can claim, the records HMRC expects, and how the licensing costs on this page are treated. Your licensing authority sets the rules above; HMRC rules are the same wherever you drive.
General information, current for September 2026. Licensing rules are set locally and change — always confirm the detail with Transport for London before you rely on it.
Never miss a renewal date
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