One question which makes people question whether they want to become a private hire driver is “how long will it take to be fully licenced and qualified to be a private hire driver?” We are here to help you answer that question and provide more information to help you along the journey of becoming a private hire driver.

The general requirement that is needed by almost all car hire companies is a PCO licence. This can take from around 3 to 4 months to complete, which sounds like a long time, but nothing compared to the time it will be used to help your career.

 

• When you apply for a PCO licence you must be at least the age of 21 and have had a full driving licence for 3 years.

 

• To make sure that you are a fit for the licence and present no threat to passengers you must take an enhanced criminal records check.

 

• You will have a medical check from somebody who has access to your past medical information, to meet the DVLA Groups 2 standards.

 

• Two tests will need to be taken to help receive your licence. The first one is a speaking and listening assessment, and the second one is a safety, equality, and regulatory understanding assessment. These will determine your reading and writing skills, essentially the way you interact with others around you.

 

• You will also need to prove that you have the right to work and live in the UK, along with a tax code check to make sure that you are registered to pay tax.

 

• The final test to obtain your PCO licence is to see your geographical skills. If you look to be based in London, then you will need to be able to plan routes and understand basic map knowledge. If you have lived in London for some time now and have been driving to get to your destinations, then this may be a very simple step in the process for yourself

 

This is all completed within the 3 to 4 months of the application if the tests and requirements are passed. It may sound like a lot of work for such a short period of time but most of the items listed are documents with you should have already or are easy to obtain.

 

When you receive your PCO licence and choose to be a private driver the benefits will be very favourable. A very popular benefit chosen amongst drivers is the ability to adjust your working hours to what suits you.

 

If you are interested in becoming a driver for us with your PCO licence then apply through us today!