Taxi Licensing Policy

It is our job to make sure that drivers, owners and operators of hackney carriage and private hire vehicles are fit to hold such licences. As a result, taxis, their drivers, owners and operators are all licensed by us.

Vehicles have to undergo mechanical tests, operators undergo inspection, and drivers have to complete training, medical assessment, DBS checks, DVLA checks and similar.

Our current Taxi Licensing Policy 2024 2029 [pdf] 651KB, adopted in October 2024, provides information about legal requirements, government guidance, council policy, procedures and standards relevant to hackney carriage and private hire licensing.

The policy provides guidance to applicants, existing licensed drivers, proprietors and operators when making applications and renewals. Each application will be considered on it own individual merits.

Low Emission Taxi Scheme

Ashford Borough Council is now operating round two of a scheme for three years 'free' licensing for ultra low emission vehicles to encourage their uptake amongst the licensed trade.

The number of exemptions available are limited, and the scheme operates on a first come first served basis until March 2025. Further details of this round of the scheme were emailed to the taxi trade on 28 April 2022.

For further information about the scheme and application form please contact Licensing.