DfT 2023 best practice pushes councils to use joint authorisation agreements against out-of-area drivers; Deregulation Act 2015 cross-border hiring still lawful where operator/vehicle/driver share the same licensing authority.

PHV licensing in Bristol (Bristol City Council)

Authority: Bristol City Council Legal framework: Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 + Deregulation Act 2015 Last verified: 19 April 2026

Summary

You must be over 18, have held a full DVLA licence for at least 12 months, pass an enhanced DBS, pass a Group 2 medical and complete Bristol-specific knowledge and training. Bristol publishes neither actual DBS nor medical prices, and the "Gold Standard" course is flagged as "not currently running", so the exact training list may shift. Written knowledge test has 100 questions covering safety (including child sexual exploitation), local area, equality, policy and legislation.

What it costs, in full

Processing end-to-end: not published; assume past a month.

If they refuse or revoke

Appeal route is the magistrates' court within 21 days.