by Trevor Bevins, Local Democracy Reporter.
NEW fees for taxi drivers in Dorset are being recommended – averaging a seven per cent rise.
For a new vehicle it will add £10 to the existing £190 annual fee although the Weymouth and Portland area, which has a separate agreement, will see new vehicle fees rise from £240 to £260. Three year licences are available, reducing the average annual cost.
Other fees are charged for taxi plates, safeguard checks and a knowledge test.
A Dorset licensing sub-committee unanimously backed the proposed rise on Wednesday with a final decision expected to be made by the full council when it meets in mid-April.
The meeting heard that Uber has been recruiting drivers for Dorchester and Weymouth and has been in talks with the council’s licensing team, with their services already being advertised.
John Newcombe, Service Manager for Licensing and Community, told the meeting that even though there was opposition from local hackney and private hire drivers to Uber there was nothing the council could do to stop it, or other similar services, operating in the area, provided they met the licensing requirements, with drivers needing a private hire licence, currently costing £190 for a year. The service already operates in the neighbouring Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area and in the New Forest.
Mr Newcombe said there had been four negative comments about the proposed new charges in response to a 28-day consultation.
He said that his team of officers, the equivalent of 11 full time staff, remained busy – with 6,207 licences issued during the year; more than 500 applications each month; carrying out 170 visits and 247 inspections in addition to dealing with 11,423 phone.
He said the service was always looking at ways of streamlining the service and was now using an automatic system to check drivers for convictions every couple of weeks and had contracted out the printing of taxi plates, which he said had improved delivery.
He said despite this the service had been running at an average deficit of £30,000 a year – with the new charges expected to bring in a small surplus of £11,000 if they were approved.
The Dorset Council area is split into 2 taxi zones:
- Weymouth and Portland Zone (yellow plates)
- Non Weymouth Zone (green plates), with drivers needing a separate licence to work in each area.
Taxi licence fees were last set in 2022, based on the full cost of running the licensing service, including staff time, administration, enforcement, legal advice, policy development, and materials such as plates and badges.
Updated guidance from the Department for Transport emphasises that licensing services should be self‑funding, regularly reviewed, and operated at the lowest cost to licensees while remaining well‑resourced.
Proposed Fee Changes
Below is a comparison of current vs proposed fees and the percentage increase:
| Fee Type | Current Fee | Proposed Fee | % Increase |
| Taxi Vehicle – New Vehicle | £190 | £200 | 5.30% |
| Taxi Vehicle – New Vehicle (Weymouth) | £240 | £260 | 8.30% |
| Taxi Vehicle – Renewal | £183 | £200 | 9.30% |
| Taxi Vehicle – Renewal (Weymouth) | £223 | £240 | 7.60% |
| Taxi Vehicle – Plate Holder | £15 | £16 | 6.70% |
| Taxi Vehicle – Replacement Plate | £26.50 | £28 | 5.70% |
| Taxi Vehicle – Temporary Plate (Accident) | £79 | £83 | 5.10% |
| Taxi Driver – New 3‑year Licence | £192 | £210 | 9.40% |
| Taxi Driver – Renewal 3‑year Licence | £142 | £150 | 5.60% |
| Taxi Driver – New 1‑year Licence | £163 | £180 | 10.40% |
| Taxi Driver – Renewal 1‑year Licence | £113 | £120 | 6.20% |
| Taxi Driver – Replacement Badge | £16 | £17 | 6.30% |
| Taxi Operator – 5‑year Licence | £416 | £440 | 5.80% |
| Taxi Operator – 1‑year Licence | £118 | £130 | 10.20% |
| Subsequent Knowledge Test | £52.50 | £55.50 | 5.70% |
