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    PHV licensing in Glasgow (Glasgow City Council)

    Factual guidanceFresh — reviewed 19 April 2026Sources: 5Next review: 18 July 2026

    Authority

    Glasgow City Council

    Legal framework: 1982_act_scotland

    Fees

    • 0: [object Object]

    Appeals

    sheriff court

    Scottish framework under 1982 Act; cross-border hiring rules differ from England and Wales.

    PHV licensing in Glasgow (Glasgow City Council)

    Authority: Glasgow City Council Legal framework: Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, sections 10-23 Last verified: 19 April 2026

    Summary

    Glasgow runs under the 1982 Scottish Act, not the English 1976 Act mix. You apply for a taxi or private hire car driver licence, and the council checks your criminal record via Disclosure Scotland, asks for a Group 2 medical, and sends you to local training and area-knowledge checks. Public council pages in 2026 focus more on caps on taxi numbers; driver application and fee details for 2025-26 are not laid out clearly online — expect phone calls and PDFs rather than a clean journey. Appeals go to the sheriff court.

    What it costs, in full

    ItemCostSourceVerified
    New taxi / PHC driver licence application feenot published, FOI requiredGlasgow City Council2026-04-19
    Renewal taxi / PHC driver licence feenot published, FOI requiredGlasgow City Council2026-04-19
    Criminal record checkDisclosure Scotland route required, cost not publishedGlasgow City Council2026-04-19
    Medical requirementGroup 2 standard expected, cost not publishedGlasgow City Council2026-04-19
    Knowledge / area test feenot published, FOI requiredGlasgow City Council2026-04-19
    English / safeguardingcovered via local training and policy, costs not publishedGlasgow City Council2026-04-19
    Processing timenot publishedGlasgow City Council2026-04-19

    Cross-border reality

    A Glasgow badge does not let you legally drive PHV in London (TfL-only) or take taxi jobs in Edinburgh or Aberdeen without the relevant local licence. Scottish framework under the 1982 Act does not mirror Deregulation Act 2015 cross-border hiring.

    If they refuse or revoke

    Appeal route is the sheriff court.

    Before you leave

    Sources

    • Glasgow City Council taxi and private hire licensing section
    • Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982
    • Scottish Government PHC licensing guidance
    • Disclosure Scotland criminal record check
    • GOV.UK taxi driver licence overview
    Fresh — reviewed 19 April 2026