As a PCO or private hire driver, legally you are required to have a valid PCO licence when working; therefore, it is crucial that you have a valid PCO If you do not renew your licence well before your expiry date and then you need to wait minimum six weeks before getting another licence.
Moreover, if you forget to renew your licence within the three months of your PCO licence expiry date, you will need to submit an application to TfL and you will be treated as a new application as all your information will be removed from TfL system.
How to renew PCO licence
Few simple steps to follow in order to renew PCO licence and prevent delays:
- Renewal pack – Tfl will post your renewal pack four months before PCO licence expiry date. If you do not receive this, you can contact TfL on tphlicensing@tfl.gov.uk and request your renewal pack.
- Submission of renewal application – When you receive the renewal pack, you will need to complete and send back the form to TfL. Some renewal application will be linked to an account you will already have with TfL previously, this will allow you to complete your application online, which easier and faster.
- Supporting documents – submit official documents such as passport or birth certificate (if born in the UK), residence card (if non-UK applicant) and driving licence for identity, when submitting these documents, please PCO and private hire drivers must ensure that all details are consistent and spellings of names match.
- Medical checks – To ensure you as a PCO and private hire driver is medically fit to drive, you must complete a TPH/204 medical form. In addition, if you are HGV or bus driver, you will be exempt from completing a medical form. However, you must meet the DVLA Group 2 standards to qualify.
- Recent photograph – Before sending your application either via post or submitting online, you will need to attach a photograph of yourself, which must be in regulation with the Photo Standards (a passport photo or a photograph up to shoulder length and must have a white background).
- Safeguarding Awareness training – All PCO and private hire driver as expected to take the online safeguarding awareness training before the SERU assessment. This is vital and it is based on information concerning ways ensure children and vulnerable adult are protected from risk of harm and abuse.
- Renewal application fee – In order to complete the renewal application, PCO and private hire must be the PCO licence fee of £310.
CRB application
As part of renewal application, all PCO and private hire drivers must apply for a new enhanced CRB, which is issued by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Also, PCO and private hire drivers can register for the DBS update service, this way your CRB certificate will always be up-to-date and can evade delays.
Breakdown of the renewal cost
The total cost a renewing a PCO licence varies. Below are estimate cost to renew a licence.
- Renewal application fee (payable to TfL) – £310 (licence app fee £124 and grant of licence fee £186)
- CRB online application fee – £53.42
- Medical check – £80 (this is our GP charge, but this varies from GP to GP)
- Admin fee – our fee is £40 (£20 TfL renewal application and £20 CRB application)
What to do when there are delays with CRB
Usually, an enhanced CRB check takes a minimum of four to five weeks. However, due to various reasons such as delays in police checking, incorrect name spellings or even proving incorrect address, CRB check can take longer than expected. If you experience any problems with your CRB application, it is best to contact the DBS company direct to get an update on your application status.
HMRC Tax Check Code
All PCO and private hire drivers must provide a HMRC tax check code when submitting their PCO renewal licence application. This is a 9 unique character code and you can acquire this via the HMRC website using your Government Gateway ID and password. The tax check code verifies your registration to pay tax.
In addition
Existing PCO and private hire drivers will have to sit for the Safety, Equality and Regulatory understanding requirement (SERU) and Language Assessment, if they have not done so before.
Overall, as a PCO or private hire driver, it is your responsibility to ensure that you renew your PCO licence well before the expiry date to avoid any delays or prevention from obtaining a PCO licence. Furthermore, PCO and private hire drivers must return old PCO licence badge to TfL within a week of expiring.
