New free TaxiTools site compares licence fees across 317 UK councils
- Perry Richardson
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
A new free website aimed at UK taxi and private hire drivers has launched with a database comparing licensing fees across 317 councils in England, Wales and Scotland.
The creator of TaxiTools says its council licence fee comparison brings together the amounts charged for driver, vehicle and operator or booking office licences. According to the site’s creator, each figure has been individually checked against information published directly by the relevant local authority.
The project allows drivers and operators a quicker way of comparing licensing costs between authorities, an area where fees can differ significantly. Individual council schedules show the extent of that variation and the different ways authorities structure charges. For example, Reigate and Banstead lists a £317 three-year first driver licence application for 2026/27, while Cambridge lists a £300 new driver licence fee alongside separate charges for DBS and other checks.
The website states that its licensing data is taken from councils’ own webpages, PDFs and committee papers. It also says the figures have been checked manually rather than sourced from trade publications.
The licensing comparison forms part of a wider set of seven tools available through the site. TaxiTools also includes a fuel finder which the developer says draws on retailers’ own published pricing feeds and covers around 3,100 forecourts, with prices refreshed during the day. The service is designed to show nearby filling stations ranked by fuel price. The website describes the information as coming from retailers’ published feeds.
A separate night stops function identifies nearby locations that are open 24 hours or offer drive-through facilities. That feature is aimed specifically at drivers working overnight, when access to food, toilets and other facilities can become more limited.
Other tools include a mileage allowance calculator using HMRC’s 45p and 25p mileage rates, a daily break-even calculator designed to show how many fares are required to cover operating costs, and a comparison between hiring, rent-to-buy and purchasing a vehicle outright.
There is also a renewal tracker allowing drivers to keep badge, vehicle plate and DBS dates together and create calendar reminders. TaxiTools says calculations take place locally in the user’s browser and information entered into the tools does not leave the device.
