How to recruit drivers for a new taxi app or ride service
The short answer
To recruit drivers for a taxi app, start with drivers who already hold your council's private hire licence, because a new licence means an enhanced DBS check, a Group 2 medical and local tests first. England had 417,300 driver licences on 1 April 2026. Drivers decide on four things: how much work there is, what you take from each fare, how fast they're paid and how they're treated.
A new ride service lives or dies on drivers. Passengers will try you once; they'll come back only if a car turns up. This guide explains how to recruit drivers for a taxi app or a new private hire service in the UK: which drivers you can legally use, how long a new licence takes, what drivers ask before they join, and the incentives that are worth paying for.
Which drivers can you use?
Outside London, you can only send out drivers and cars licensed by the same council as your operator licence. A 2024 report to City of York Council's licensing committee calls this the triple licensing rule, from the case Dittah v Birmingham City Council (1993). In London, drivers, cars and operators are all licensed by TfL.
So your recruiting pool is the private hire drivers licensed by your council, plus the people willing to get that licence. If a driver holds a licence from a neighbouring council, you can't dispatch them on your own licence. You can sub-contract a booking to an operator licensed by that council under section 11 of the Deregulation Act 2015, but the driver then works for that operator, not for you.
The national pool is large and growing. The Department for Transport counted 417,300 taxi and private hire driver licences in England on 1 April 2026, up 9% on 2024. Of those, 71% were PHV-only and 20% were a dual licence covering both taxis and private hire. Licensed private hire cars outside London rose 20% in the same two years.
Where do drivers for a new ride service come from?
Drivers for a new service come from four places, and each needs a different pitch:
- Drivers already licensed by your council who want more work. The quickest to start. Ask what hours they can't fill now.
- Drivers working for other operators or the apps. They know the trade and compare you on work, fees and treatment. If they're self-employed they can keep other work, so you're asking for their best hours, not all of them.
- Hackney drivers with a dual licence. Rank work is quiet at some hours. Pre-booked jobs can fill the gaps.
- New entrants. People with no licence yet. They need months of checks and tests, so start them first if your launch depends on them.
The word of your existing drivers beats any advert. A driver who says "the work's steady and they pay on time" is worth more than a Facebook campaign.
How long does a new driver licence take?
Longer than a new firm expects, and no single figure applies. Each council sets its own tests and its own pace. TfL says new private hire driver applications are taking longer than normal, and Leeds City Council gives new applicants 12 months from submitting the form to complete its training. Here is what a new driver has to clear:
| Step | What it involves | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Driving licence | A full licence held for a minimum time | TfL: at least 3 years |
| Criminal record | Enhanced DBS check with barred lists | TfL also requires the DBS Update Service; the DfT standards ask councils to check it every 6 months |
| Medical | DVLA Group 2 standard, as for lorry and bus drivers | Leeds: a Group II medical report dated within the last 4 months |
| Route knowledge | A topographical or local knowledge test | TfL topographical assessment: £40 first attempt |
| English | Speaking and listening | TfL assessment: £40 first attempt |
| Training | Safeguarding, equality and the rules | TfL SERU (safety, equality and regulatory understanding) assessment: £40; 97% of councils require child sexual abuse and exploitation awareness training |
| Driving test | An assessed drive | Leeds: a driving standards assessment from an approved supplier |
| Right to work | Immigration checks | Every council, since the Immigration Act 2016 |
| Licence fee | Paid to the council | TfL: £138 to apply and £205 on grant, from 1 June 2026. BCP Council: £200, including the first knowledge test |
A driver licence then lasts a standard 3 years. The driver also needs a licensed private hire car from the same council, which costs £200 a year at BCP Council, or £84 to apply and £56 on grant at TfL.
If your launch plan depends on new drivers, put their applications in during your first week. Our 90-day launch plan shows where this fits.
What do drivers ask before joining a new ride service?
Drivers ask about money and work before anything else, and they'll check your answers with other drivers. Have honest answers ready to these eight:
- How much work will there be, and when? Show what's already booked: accounts, school runs, airport pre-books. Don't promise volumes you can't show.
- What do you take? Commission per job, a weekly fee, or both. Put it in writing, with any changes on notice.
- When and how do I get paid? Card fares, account work and cash each settle differently. Say how often you pay out.
- Can I keep working on other apps? Say what your agreement allows, in writing, before they start.
- Which car, and who licenses it? Outside London the car must be licensed by your council too.
- Which app will I use? If you use Dispatch AI, jobs go straight to your drivers on your own branded app. Apple and Google usually approve the app within one to two weeks.
- Do I get the good work, or only what's left? Explain how airport runs and account jobs are shared out.
- What happens after a complaint? Drivers want to know they'll be heard before they're suspended.
What incentives work for driver recruitment?
The safest driver incentives cost you little until a driver is actually working for you. Big platforms pay heavily to sign drivers up: when Uber began signing up London black-cab drivers in late 2023, it offered them 0% commission for their first six months. A local firm can't match that, and doesn't need to.
| Incentive | Cost to you | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Lower commission for the first weeks | Only paid on jobs they do | Set an end date in writing |
| Help with licence fees, repaid from earnings | Cash up front | Agree what happens if they leave early |
| First call on pre-booked airport and account work | Nothing extra | Your existing drivers may feel passed over |
| Referral payment to the driver who recommends them | Paid only after the new driver completes an agreed number of jobs | Keep it simple and paid on time |
| Evening and weekend priority | Nothing extra | Only works if those shifts are busy |
Promising a fixed hourly amount looks attractive, but it pulls you towards treating drivers as workers, with the minimum wage and holiday pay that come with that.
Are your drivers workers or self-employed?
The answer depends on how much you control them, not on what the contract calls them. On 19 February 2021 the Supreme Court held in Uber BV v Aslam that Uber's drivers were workers. The court pointed to Uber setting the fare, imposing the contract terms, penalising drivers who declined or cancelled too many trips, using ratings to warn and remove drivers, and limiting contact between driver and passenger.
Workers are entitled to the National Living Wage for their working time, which is £12.71 an hour for those aged 21 and over from 1 April 2026, and to paid holiday. The court counted Uber drivers as working whenever the app was on, they were in their area and they were ready to accept trips.
That doesn't mean every taxi firm's drivers are workers. It means the more you control fares, hours and which jobs a driver must take, the closer you get. Take advice before you write your driver agreement, and read our guide to self-employed or employed drivers.
How do you keep drivers once they've joined?
Keeping a driver is cheaper than finding a new one. Pay on the day you said you would, share the good work fairly and tell drivers about changes before they happen. Ask every driver who leaves why, and write the answer down.
Our guides to taxi driver retention and taxi driver recruitment cover both in more depth.
Frequently asked questions
Can drivers licensed by another council work for my app?
Not on your own operator licence, outside London. Your drivers and cars must hold licences from the same council as your operator licence. You can sub-contract a booking to an operator licensed by the other council, who then sends their own licensed driver and car.
How much does it cost a driver to get a private hire licence in London?
From 1 June 2026, TfL charges £138 to apply and £205 on grant, plus £40 each for the topographical, English and SERU assessments at the first attempt. That's £463 before the DBS check, the medical and the car.
What checks do operators need on their booking and dispatch staff?
The Department for Transport's statutory standards ask operators to show the council they've seen a basic DBS check for everyone on their register of booking and dispatch staff. The standards also ask councils to check operators themselves with a basic DBS check each year. Drivers need the enhanced check.
How many drivers should a new ride service sign up?
Work it out from the hours you'll cover, then add spare. Example: two cars on the road from 7am to midnight, seven days a week, is 2 × 17 × 7 = 238 car-hours a week. At 40 hours each that's six drivers, and more to cover holidays and sickness.
Should I recruit drivers before my operator licence is granted?
Yes, start talking to them, but don't send out any bookings until the licence is granted. Bristol City Council's operator application asks for a list of your intended drivers and vehicles, so you need names before you apply.
Sources
- Taxi and private hire vehicle statistics, England: 2026 (Department for Transport) driver licences and training figures at 1 April 2026
- Application for a private hire operator's licence (City of York Council, Licensing and Regulatory Committee, 11 June 2024) the triple licensing rule
- Deregulation Act 2015, section 11 sub-contracting
- Private hire driver licence (Transport for London) requirements for new drivers
- Taxi and private hire licence fees, notice 05/26 (Transport for London, 13 March 2026)
- Applying for a hackney carriage or private hire driver's licence (Leeds City Council)
- Taxi and private hire fees (BCP Council)
- Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards (Department for Transport) DBS checks and booking staff
- Taxi and private hire vehicle licensing: best practice guidance (Department for Transport, updated 17 November 2023) Group 2 medical, 3-year licences, right to work
- Licensing authority guide to right to work checks (Home Office, updated 2 October 2026)
- Uber BV and others v Aslam and others (The Supreme Court, judgment 19 February 2021) working time
- Supreme Court unanimously dismisses Uber's appeal (DWF, February 2021) the factors the court relied on
- National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates (GOV.UK) £12.71 from April 2026
- Uber begins recruiting London taxi drivers for black cabs option (Taxi Point, 29 November 2023)
- Apply for an operator licence (Bristol City Council) list of intended drivers and vehicles
Checked 9 October 2026. Rules and fees change, so check with your licensing authority before you rely on a figure.