Get a Permit to Drive an Uber Cab in London & Add to Your Riches

Posted by Oliver sanan on October 27th, 2019

In London, the ‘Public Carriage Office’ license that is also known as ‘Private Hire Driver’ licence enables you to become a minicab driver or give you the opportunity to work as the chauffer. It is equally essential to have this permit if you want to drive Uber in this city. The Public Carriage Office is part of Transport for London (TFL). This permit remains valid for three years and gives you the opportunity to drive a minicab/Uber within this city.

Uber is an app based ‘taxi’ service where customers may book a cab for personal as well as shared rides using a mobile application and the Public Carriage Office gives the permit to drive the Uber cabs. It may cost you £100-150 in order to get this license. However, an applicant has to fulfil the following requirements in order to be considered eligible for this license.

1) The applicant has to be at least 21 years old.

2) It is essential to have a valid UK driving permit for at least three years.

3) It is mandatory to undergo a DBS check which attests to the fact that you are eligible to drive passengers. DBS stands for Disclosure and Barring Service and this department examines the record of an individual’s criminal convictions and cautions.

4) It is equally essential for an applicant to complete a medical examination with flying colours in order to ensure that he/she is physically fit to drive a public carriage.

5) You need to pass the English Language test and Topographical Skills Assessment in order to get this license.

Steps to License

If you are wondering about ‘how to get Uber license in London’, then this procedure can be completed in the following steps.

DBS Check

You cannot apply for this permit if you cannot prove that you have no criminal history or record, as a passenger’s safety depends upon a driver’s nature. Hence, a complete DBS Check is mandatory for this license.

Medical Examination

According to DVLA Group-2 Standards, a driver of public carriage has to be physically fit in order to obtain the Uber PCO license. During the complete medical examination, an applicant has to be tested for hearing, reaction times and any type of serious medical condition.

Topographical Skills Assessment

This assessment ensures that an individual can use an A-Z Guide to locate various places or can plan the routes of any distance (from one point to another). It is essential to avail this certificate from a TFL approved centre. However, you may even avail this certificate from an Uber Ignition Centre if you want to drive an Uber cab instead of other type of public carriage.

English Language Test

This is the last step to availing the ‘Public Carriage Office’ license. The applicants are supposed to clear this test from a TFL-approved language test provider. However, you may be exempted from this test on the basis of your academic qualification, such as GCSE.

You may visit the official website of TFL after passing all assessments and examinations with flying colours in order to begin the application process for ‘Public Carriage Office’ license.