NO KNOWLEDGE NEEDED: Topographical tests dropped from private hire licensing policy in Fareham following statutory guidance review
- Perry Richardson
- Mar 25
- 1 min read
A Fareham Borough Council licensing committee has confirmed that topographical knowledge tests will no longer form part of private hire driver licensing requirements, following updated statutory guidance and a full policy review.
The change emerged during a review of taxi and private hire licensing policy, where members were advised that national statutory guidance explicitly states that topographical testing should not be imposed as a condition of licensing for private hire drivers.
As a result, the authority has formally excluded any requirement for applicants to demonstrate detailed local geographical knowledge through testing, marking a shift away from practices historically used by some licensing bodies.
The decision forms part of a wider policy update carried out after consultation with both the public and the taxi trade, alongside consideration of updated case law and best practice standards. The revised policy has now been approved, with authority delegated to officers to finalise and publish the updated framework.
Council confirms removal of map-based assessments for private hire drivers in line with national rules
For drivers, the removal of topographical testing reflects a continued move towards standardisation across licensing authorities, particularly in the private hire sector where journeys are typically pre-booked and navigated following digital mapping systems closely rather than using local knowledge of the area they work in.
Private hire industry stakeholders have increasingly argued that mandatory knowledge tests are less relevant in an app-based environment. Hackney carriage drivers are however keen to hold onto that distinction acknowledging the value of professional in-depth knowledge of the area they work in that digital navigation arguably cannot recreate.
