Consultation launched over proposed changes to taxi licences

People are being invited to have their say on potential changes to the licensing of hackney carriages and private hire vehicles in the district.

Lewes District Council has launched the consultation over a proposal to convert all private hire and hackney carriage licences to dual driver licences.

If proposed changes go ahead, the types of driver licences currently issued will be cut from four to two, and the easier of two knowledge tests would be removed.

Councillor Johnny Denis, Cabinet Member for Communities and Customers, said: “By streamlining the licensing process in this way we aim raise the overall standard of drivers in the district, as well as assist us to deliver a more efficient service.

“I hope as many people as possible take part in this consultation by completing our online survey.”

The council currently issues the following types of driver licence:

• Hackney carriage driver licence – holders can only drive a hackney carriage licensed vehicle.
• Private hire driver licence – holders can only drive a private hire licensed vehicle.
• Restricted private hire driver licence – holders can only drive a private hire licensed vehicle for contracted school runs.
• Dual driver licence – holders can drive both private hire and hackney carriage licensed vehicles.

The proposal is to issue all drivers with either a:

• Dual driver licence – holders will be able to drive both private hire and hackney carriage licensed vehicles, or
• Restricted private hire driver licence – holders will only be able to drive private hire licensed vehicles for contracted school runs.

As it stands, private hire and hackney carriage drivers need to take separate tests.

Under the proposal, the private hire test would no longer be offered. All new applicants would be tested on the subjects covered in the current hackney carriage test, to be called the dual driver test.

The consultation runs until 5pm on Friday, 3 April.

Visit lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/consultations/taxi-consultation for more information and to complete the survey.

Alternatively, comments can be sent by email to [email protected] 

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