Taxi rep reveals problems London cabbies face when renewing via ‘COMPLICATED’ licensing process
- Perry Richardson
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Taxi drivers across London are continuing to face serious problems when renewing their licences, with delays, unclear communication and a digital system that simply does not work as intended, according to trade representatives.
Writing for TAXI Newspaper, LTDA Senior Representative Sam Houston has said that the process has become “complicated”, leaving many taxi drivers at risk of being unable to work as they tackle the system.
Houston explained that despite Transport for London (TfL) issuing renewal forms four months before expiry, a large number of members are still experiencing disruption because the system itself has become too difficult to navigate.
“In our experience, this is currently untrue. At the LTDA we assist with hundreds of renewals a year and we never touch the online form.” He said. “For a start, a large proportion of members are unable to even register. Th e registration process either doesn’t accept their details or they are sent round and round in circles trying to change a password.
“I have personally tried several times to register on the website with no success; I’ve emailed TPH as suggested and have not received a response. Even the lucky few who do manage to get online tell us about glitches and problems, so we still use the paper form.”
He added that even experienced LTDA support officers have found it harder than ever to keep drivers continuously licensed. “In the last year or so, even we have struggled at times,” he admitted.
One of the few positive developments has been TPH Notice 06/25, issued in September, which guarantees that drivers can continue working for up to twelve months beyond the expiry of their licence while awaiting the SERU test result, provided a complete renewal application has been submitted. Houston welcomed this change but warned that TfL must do more to ensure the message reaches insurers, garages and app companies. “Where a driver is near expiry and hasn’t passed SERU, they will normally issue a Section 17 notice,” he said. “But have they done enough to publicise what that means to the wider industry?”
According to Houston, most Section 17 notices are sent by email, which adds another layer of risk. “If they are not received for any reason, it is the driver who misses out,” he said. “This all translates to more worry and stress for drivers.”
He called for TfL to undertake an “urgent review” of the entire renewal system, which he said “is not serving anybody well”. The LTDA continues to press TfL to release key performance data, including how long applications are taking to process, how many are delayed until the last fortnight before expiry, and what percentage are granted without repeated requests for extra information.
Houston questioned why so many drivers are being asked for a second DVLA code because the first one expires before the application is completed.
The Senior Representative also highlighted unnecessary duplication around background checks. He said: “How many licensees who have joined the DBS Update Service are required to do a completely superfluous (and expensive) further DBS application and rejoin because they missed a single email about a failed payment?”
Despite the difficulties, there are some signs of improvement. Houston confirmed that more members are now passing the SERU test “with ease, as expected”. He has applied to take his own assessment early, encouraging others to do the same. Drivers can contact TfL by emailing with their full name, TfL reference number, date of birth and postcode.
