Taxi Driver Online

A friend of mine went to renew his licence a week ago.. which was a week early.... his wife droped dead of a heart attack the same day.... for some reason or other he forgot.

I think you have made that up.

PCO Notice 28/09


Transport for London
Public Carriage Office

Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle drivers' licences: Late renewal applications
The PCO receives many applications to renew taxi and PHV driver licences that are submitted by drivers after the expiry of their existing licence.
Once a driver's licence has expired he or she is longer licensed, their hire and reward insurance will be invalid and they will not be able to work as a taxi or PHV driver. All drivers are therefore urged to submit their renewal (re-licensing) applications in good time.
In the event of a driver submitting an application for the renewal of a licence after the expiry of the previous licence the immediate issue of a new licence will be at the discretion of the PCO. However, it is possible that the driver may have to wait until all processes, including the return of a satisfactory CRB Disclosure, have been completed before a licence can be issued.
Any driver applying to renew his or her licence more than three months after the expiry of the preceding licence will be treated as a new applicant. Any benefit of being continuously licensed will be lost and the driver will have to wait until all necessary checks have been completed before a licence can be issued.
If a taxi driver has been unlicensed for a significant length of time he or she may also be required to undergo a Knowledge of London re-test to ensure that their Knowledge remains up to date.
The PCO licensing teams will send a re-licensing application pack to a driver's home address 8 weeks before their licence is due to expire. This will contain all the forms and information a driver needs to be licensed for a further three years. To allow time for it to be processed, it is imperative that a driver submits his or her application at least 21 days before their existing licence expires. To ensure that they receive their re-licensing pack, drivers are reminded of their responsibility to notify the PCO in writing of any change of address during the period of the licence. Any driver who has not received their re-licensing pack 28 days in advance of the expiry of their licence should contact the PCO as a matter of urgency.
If there is reason why a driver will not be able to submit their re-licensing application on time (e.g. because of illness, extended holiday, etc.) they should advise the PCO at the earliest opportunity.

25 August 2009
For previous PCO Notices visit tfl.gov/uk/pco

Mary Dowdye
Head of Standards & Regulations

MAYOR OF LONDON