New Driver Licence

To become a private hire driver you need to read and complete the information contained within our application pack. Ashford Borough Council introduced a new drivers application pack from 1st February. Please note that from 1st March 2026, we will only be able to accept the new application form. 

A note on Uber - Uber are not licensed with Ashford Borough Council, and as such Ashford Borough Council Licensed Private Hire Drivers cannot use their licence to work with the operator 'Uber'. If you wish to conduct work for Uber you will need to apply for a licence with one of the councils in which Uber is licensed.

Please also be aware that in line with updated policy Ashford Borough Council require licensed drivers to work predominately within the borough.

As part of the process you will need to do the following:

• Have an enhanced disclosure and barring service (DBS) check, and be signed up to the DBS Update Service. This check can be completed via uCheck DBS Checks, and DBS Update Service joined on receipt of the certificate. Please see the uCheck Applicant Privacy Policy. The certificate and confirmation of DBS Update Service must be provided to Licensing at the time of submitting your application.
• Pass a practical taxi driving test accepted by Ashford Borough Council. This can be done through agencies such as BLT Driver Training (£87), AA Drivetech (£90), Green Penny (£90), or alternative suppliers who meet our minimum specifications. Should you wish to use an alternative supplier please email the licensing team prior to booking to check that the test will be accepted by us;
• Evidence completion of taxi specific Safeguarding training dated within three years of the application. This can be done through agencies such as BLT Driver Training (£20), Learning Curve Group (£34.99) Green Penny (£50), or alternative suppliers who meet our minimum specifications. Should you wish to use an alternative supplier please email the licensing team prior to booking to check that the test will be accepted by us;
• Evidence completion of taxi specific Disability Awareness dated within three years of the application. This can be done through agencies such as Learning Curve Group (£34.99), BLT Driver Training (£40), Green Penny (£45), or alternative suppliers who meet our minimum specifications. Should you wish to use an alternative supplier please email the licensing team prior to booking to check that the test will be accepted by us;
• Pass a group 2 standard medical;
• Have held a full driving licence for at least 12 months;
• If you have ever lived or worked outside the UK for more than 3 months since the age of 18, you are required to provide a certificate of good conduct (COGC) from all the countries you lived in. Details of how to obtain this can be found on the Government website - Certificate of Good Conduct
• Undertake a private hire driver’s test which will test your knowledge on the following: information provided in the pack, the Highway Code and numeracy. This will be arranged once your application has been submitted and;
• Pay the appropriate fee.

Read our Privacy Notice for Taxi Licence Applications.

Contact us for further information

To obtain a pack, please complete our online application.