Hire Driver Communication Assessment

Licensed drivers will be expected to know the law and conditions that apply to driving licensed vehicles. Members of the travelling public place a lot of trust in the driver of the licensed vehicle they get into. Therefore, the Council insists on high standards from an applicant for a driver's licence. The travelling public have a right to expect that the licensed drivers are fully aware of the responsibilities placed upon them.

The test itself is not designed to be difficult. With a little bit of effort on your part you will pass it without too much trouble. The test should normally be no more than 20 minutes in duration and will be held at the Council's Horncastle Offices, by a Licensing Officer. Applicants are normally not permitted to bring a companion into the test room whilst the test is taking place. Please contact the Licensing Team to arrange an appointment for the test.

Question papers are drawn at random from a series of papers prepared by the Council's Licensing Officers. The papers are checked and revised periodically.

Prior to attending for the test applicants will be issued with a copy of the Council's guidance booklets relating to driver and vehicle licensing. When reading the booklets, it is important that you understand differences between hackney carriages (taxis) and private hire vehicles. In particular taxis, can ply for hire in the District of East Lindsey and are usually found on taxi ranks and plying for hire on the streets. Private hire vehicles must not ply for hire and must be booked in advance by telephone or at their office.

The cost of the test and any subsequent first retest (at the time of the first licence application) will be included in the Council's standard licence application fee. Any subsequent retest (after the first retest) will be charged to the applicant at a cost of £10.00 per test. The charge of £10.00 to be paid to the Licensing Authority before the applicant sits the test.

If you require any special facilities and help in undertaking the test, please contact the Licensing Team by email well in advance of the test date and we will endeavour to meet your requirements wherever possible.

Details of the test are set out below.

Sections A to C of the test will be a basic test to examine an applicant's ability to communicate in English and undertake simple addition and subtraction.

SECTION A - Reading Skills

You will be asked to read aloud a short and simple passage of text to the Licensing Officer overseeing the test. The text will relate in some shape or form to hackney carriage or private hire vehicle licensing. You must be able to read the passage clearly and without undue difficulty to the satisfaction of the Testing Officer.

SECTION B - Writing Skills

The Testing Officer will give you the details of a supposed taxi or private hire journey and ask you to write a receipt for the fare at the end of that journey. The details you will be asked to write will include name of hirer, date of journey, destination, total fare, etc. You must be able to complete the receipt without undue difficulty to the satisfaction of the Testing Officer.

SECTION C - Addition and Subtraction

This section of the test will give 3 examples of taxi / private hire fares and the payments made by the customer. In each case you will be required to indicate the correct change to be given to the hirer. You must answer all 3 questions in Section C correctly.

SECTION D - Knowledge of hackney carriage (taxi) and private hire vehicle legislation as well as the Council's byelaws and conditions relating to driver and vehicle licensing.

This section of the test will consist of 10 multiple choice questions on the above legislation and licence conditions relating to hackney carriage and private hire work. The questions will be based on the information contained in the following sections of the Council's guidance booklets:

A Guide for Hackney Carriage (Taxi) Drivers and Proprietors

·       Section 3 - Instructions for hackney carriage drivers and proprietors

·       Section 4 - Hackney carriage fares

·       Section 5 - Hackney carriage vehicle licence conditions

·       Section 6 - Hackney carriage byelaws

·       Section 12 - Smokefree taxis and private hire vehicles.

A Guide for Private Hire Vehicle Drivers and Proprietors

·       Section 3 - Instructions for private hire drivers and proprietors

·       Section 5 - Private hire vehicle licence conditions

·       Section 6 - Private hire driver's licence conditions

·       Section 9 - Smokefree taxis and private hire vehicles.

You should acquaint yourself with the above contents before attending for the test. Copies of the guidance booklets are available on the Council's website.

Please note that you may not refer to the guidance booklets during the actual test. In order to pass Section D of the test you must answer at least 9 out of 10 questions correctly.

Other Information - Highway Code

The test does not include an examination of your knowledge of the Highway Code. However, applicants wishing to test themselves on Highway Code knowledge can visit the gov.uk website:

https://www.gov.uk/take-practice-theory-test

where practice Highway Code theory tests can be taken. This would be an opportunity for you to self-test your current knowledge of the Highway Code and ascertain whether you need to refresh your knowledge of its contents.

Further Information

Before taking the test, you may be required to prove your identity. Failure to produce suitable identification will result in you not being able to sit the test.

If there is any part of this webpage that you are unsure of you should contact the Licensing Team.