The application process and all that it requires can be compared to cooking a fry-up; you don’t want to pop your toast down before you have even got the bacon out the fridge. You want everything to be ready at the same time so this is why you need to plan. To be honest it took me about 9 weeks when I could have done it in less than 6. But you live and learn.
To get an idea of where and whom it is best to work for and info on salary and conditions etc you need to speak to local drivers; get a taxi to the supermarket, or ask on the way home from the pub etc, and for gods sake tip the poor bugger. ;)
As a guide; the application takes from 6-8 weeks. The best approach is to try to book everything ASAP, don’t wait for your CRB to come back before you book the medical, book them all now and you won’t waste any time.
Your first step is to call your local council and arrange an appointment to meet with the licensing department, you may have to wait about 2 weeks for the appointment so book early. In this initial appointment you will be asked to bring a valid full UK driving licence (with paper counterpart). A passport or birth certificate. And money for your CRB (Criminal record check), street knowledge test, DVLA mandate etc (see earlier posts for more details). Your CRB will take 6 weeks (less if you’re lucky) to come back. In the meantime there are other things you can do, read on.
If all goes well with your first appointment you should call or visit the licensing department again to arrange a date for your street knowledge test. You should also get on the internet and order a large fold out map of your city. Get them from Amazon.co.uk or similar as they are very pricey in the shops. I will do more on the knowledge soon. You will need a small A-Z book for your city and a 'fold out map' (again A-Z) for revising your street knowledge.
Also try and arrange for your medical at the same time. I saved £45 just by calling around, my doctor wanted £90, I phoned a few and got it down to £60 but in the end one of the councils licensing officers advised me on a doc that could do it for £45 – bargain.
Check there is no customer service courses you have to attend, the council didn’t tell me I had to go on one until I went to collect my plate so I had to wait another 3 weeks t work.
You now need to be thinking about a car and insurance, I will go into more detail as this is a blog all of its own. If you’re a Hack then you will be renting so your insurance and vehicle will be taken care of by the cab plate holder. I would also recommend renting a settle car for Private hire drivers. At least for the first 4-8 weeks, it gives you a chance to see if you like the job before making any financial commitments, insurance will be part of the rental cost. It also gives you time to shop around for a better deal if you want to buy. Most taxi companies should be able to offer you settle cars. Prices vary a lot i've heard they range from £150 up to £300 but to be honest with you i have never used them (wish i had starting out though) The company i work for charges £200 for a Skoda Octavia, that is about average. I will get more info on this and make it a future blog.
If you've read this far you deserve a cuppa so go and put the kettle on.
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