How to get a London PHV driver licence

To work as a London private hire vehicle (PHV) driver you need a licence from Transport for London (TfL). Only then can you carry out bookings for a London private hire operator that TfL also licences. Here is the process in plain English.

1. Check you meet the basic requirements

The handbook lists these requirements for getting a licence:

• You are 21 or older when you apply. There is no upper age limit.
• You hold a full driving licence from the DVLA, Northern Ireland, the EU or the EEA, and it is at least three years old.
• You have the right to live and work in the UK.
• You are a "fit and proper" person. This includes an enhanced criminal records check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
• You are physically fit. This means a medical examination to DVLA Group 2 standards, with a doctor who can see your full medical records.
• You can prove at least B1 English on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

2. Complete the application

TfL's licence page sets out the steps. In summary you register online (or ask for an application pack by email), give your personal details and a photograph, and then complete the checks below. The page also mentions a Certificate of Good Conduct and a tax check code where they apply to you, so read it carefully for your own situation.

3. The assessments

• Topographical skills assessment. Checks that you can select and plan a route, read a map and identify locations. It is held at a centre TfL approves, under exam conditions, with a TfL examiner. TfL's current page says it is computer based; see our topographical assessment guide.
• English speaking and listening. A separate test held in a TfL building under exam conditions.
• SERU. The Safety, Equality and Regulatory Understanding Assessment, based on the handbook. Passing it also counts as your English reading and writing evidence. See SERU explained.
• Safeguarding awareness training. TfL's licence page lists this as part of the process. The handbook says online safeguarding training is available and that it is important to take it.

4. Background check and medical

The enhanced DBS check shows convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings, any relevant police information, and whether you are on a barred list. The handbook says TfL uses a separate company to arrange DBS checks and you must use that company. TfL's licence page also lists registering with the DBS Update Service.

The handbook says you may be exempt from supplying a medical form if you hold a full or provisional (issued after January 1997) DVLA Group 2 licence, a current London taxi driver's licence, or a valid Joint Aviation Authorities pilot's licence. Otherwise you need the medical. TfL's page says the fee is set by the examining doctor.

5. Fees

TfL lists separate fees for the application, the grant of the licence, the DBS check, the Post Office document check and each assessment. The application fee is non-refundable. Use the licence cost calculator to add them up. Fees change, so confirm on TfL's page before paying.

6. If your application is approved

• TfL sends your licence and your PHV driver's badge. Read about the rules in badge and licence rules.
• The licence normally lasts three years. If it is shorter, the letter that comes with it explains why.
• The letter may list conditions you must meet. Keep it and follow it, because breaking conditions can lead to revocation.
• Know what you must report afterwards: what you must tell TfL.