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Taxi Driving Assessments
Overview
Some local authorities require that you pass a driving assessment in order to be licensed as a Hackney Carriage or Private Hire Driver.
To find out if your local authority requires you to take a driving assessment please contact them directly. You should also check that we already work with your local authority to carry out the driving assessment on their behalf.
Our Fees
Assessment Process
Passing your assessment
If you pass, you will receive:
The pass certificate details must match your driving licence and cannot be amended after it is issued.
Failing your assessment
If you do not pass:
Amending or Cancelling Your Assessment
To amend or cancel, contact us at 0330 111 7230 or taxi@greenpenny.co.uk.
Please ensure you give enough notice to amend or cancel – you must give at least 4 clear working days notice so that you don’t lose your fee (working days = Monday to Friday, not including bank holidays. 4 clear working days, does not include the day you inform us you would like to cancel or the date of the assessment).
What does the assessment involve?
Standard Taxi Assessment
40 minutes assessment (Approximately).
A manoeuvre where you’ll be asked to turn your vehicle to face the opposite direction.
Following road signs without turn-by-turn directions for around 10 minutes.
Stopping at the side of the road as if picking up or dropping off a passenger.
Parking in a safe and convenient location.
Answering Cabology, Highway Code and traffic sign questions.
You may also be asked to demonstrate an emergency stop.
Wheelchair Assessment
You’ll need to bring a wheelchair accessible vehicle for a Wheelchair Assessment. You will need to demonstrate your ability to:
Safely load and unload the wheelchair in your vehicle.
Use the wheelchair brakes to secure and release it.
Fasten the seat belts or safety harnesses.
Secure any belts, straps or clamps required.
Enhanced Assessment
A combination of the Standard and Wheelchair Assessments.
The wheelchair exercise is conducted first, followed by the driving assessment.
Assessment Scoring
You must make 9 or fewer faults to pass.
Too many faults in any given section of marking, or any serious or dangerous faults, will result in a fail.
Incorrect answers in Cabology, Highway Code & traffic sign questions contribute to the fault tally.
Some assessments may be observed by quality assurance staff.
What you must bring
A valid driving licence (photocard or old-style paper licence with passport). If you have the old style (non-photocard) licence, then you must also bring a valid passport.
A suitable vehicle (see below).
Vehicle Requirements
Your vehicle must:
Be roadworthy, insured, taxed, and have a valid MOT (if over 3 years old). We reserve the right to cancel or terminate an assessment if we believe your vehicle poses a safety risk.
Be insured for the purposes of a driving test/assessment.
The vehicle you use for the assessment should be either a vehicle owned by you, or a vehicle you are using with permission of the owner. In either case, you will need to ensure that the vehicle is insured for you to use for an assessment. If you chose to use a hire vehicle from a hire/rental company, you will need to produce documentation at the time of the assessment to show that it is insured for assessments.
Either a manual or an automatic vehicle is acceptable.
Be a car with front and rear seats (vans are not permitted, except minibuses up to 8 passengers and 3,500 kg).
Have no warning lights displayed.
Have all external lights in working order.
Be free of any tyre damage and all tread depths must be above the legal limit (you cannot use a space saver tyre on the assessment).
Be in a reasonably clean condition inside.
Be smoke-free this means you cannot smoke in it just before or during the assessment (if the smell of smoke is present in the vehicle, the assessment may not go ahead and you may lose your fee).
Have a passenger seat belt and head restraint for the assessor.
Be able to reach at least 62 mph and have a mph speedometer.
Licensed vehicles can only be used if you are an existing Hackney Carriage or Private Hire driver.
Green Penny reserves the right to check the tax and MOT status of your vehicle where there is reasonable concern that your vehicle is not roadworthy. If your vehicle is found without tax or a current MOT the assessment will not go ahead and you will lose your fee.
You must bring a vehicle that is suitable for the type of assessment you are taking: Standard assessment – you must bring a car with rear seats (vans or car derived vans are not acceptable e.g. Ford Transit Connect, except for a minibus designed to carry up to 8 passengers and up to 3,500 kg). Enhanced and wheelchair assessments – you must bring a vehicle that is suitable for transporting a wheelchair user i.e. a vehicle that has been adapted for the loading and transportation of wheelchair user.
Recording Policy
No audio or visual recording of the assessment is allowed.
Dashcams may be used if they are external-facing and do not record audio inside the vehicle.
If your vehicle does not meet requirements, the assessment will not proceed, and you will lose your fee.
Before the Assessment Starts
Ensure your clothing and footwear allow for safe vehicle control.
You will be asked to read a vehicle number plate from 20 metres.
If you need glasses or contacts for this, you must wear them during the driving assessment.
Failing the eyesight test means the assessment cannot continue, and you will lose your fee.
Council Specific Requirements
Some councils have additional criteria.
Upon booking your assessment, you will be sent a factsheet if your chosen council has additional criteria.
Buckinghamshire Council (Aylesbury, Chiltern, South Bucks & High Wycombe)
Assessments can only be conducted in Aylesbury, Milton Keynes, or High Wycombe.
Additional manoeuvres (e.g. parallel park, turn in the road).
Controlled stop exercise.
Navigation to two locations (use of SAT NAV permitted but must be set before moving off).
20 questions (must answer 15 correctly to pass).
Bradford & Kirklees Councils
Minimum 60-minute assessment.
Includes vehicle safety checks, Highway Code questions, and additional manoeuvres.
Must not accrue more than 9 driving faults or more than 5 faults in one section.
For Bradford Council and Kirklees Council, if you pass the assessment your pass certificate will be emailed to you within 3 working days. If you are unsuccessful at the assessment, a copy of the assessment form will be emailed to you.
Hertsmere Borough Council
Higher driving standard required.
Maximum of 6 driving faults allowed.
Maidstone, Sevenoaks and Royal Tunbridge Wells Councils
Additional criteria apply. Contact us for details.
Nottingham City Council
Highway Code, Cabology & road sign questions are not part of the assessment.
Peterborough City & Rutland District Councils
Private Hire: Navigate to three districts and two local places of interest without a SAT NAV (can refuse only one before failing).
Hackney Carriage: Navigate to five destinations (can refuse only one before failing).
Uttlesford District Council
Highway Code, Cabology & road sign questions are not part of the assessment – these are covered in the council’s training course.
Amending or cancelling your assessment
You can easily amend or cancel your assessment once it has been booked. Please call us on 0330 111 7230 or email taxi@greenpenny.co.uk to do this. Please ensure you give enough notice to amend or cancel – you must give at least 4 clear working days notice so that you don’t lose your fee (working days = Monday to Friday, not including bank holidays. 4 clear working days, does not include the day you inform us you would like to cancel or the date of the assessment).