Oxford City Council will provide grants of up to £540 to help taxi drivers pay for licences.
The new grants – known as the home and mobile workers grant – will provide financial help for individuals who are legally required to obtain a licence to be able to operate their business.
The largest of these groups in Oxford are taxi drivers, who are legally required to get both a driver and vehicle licence from the City Council to be able to operate.
The driver licence ensures that drivers have a good driving record, are mentally and physically fit, and would not take advantage of customers. The vehicle licence ensure the taxi is safe to operate.
The grants will cover the cost of one one-year driver licence and/or one one-year vehicle licence for Oxford’s taxi drivers. This includes both new licences and renewals, and private hire and Hackney Carriage licences.
The one year cost for renewing a Hackney Carriage driver licence in Oxford is £122 and renewing the vehicle licence costs £415.
The City Council will fund the grants using the Additional Restrictions Grant, a discretionary fund that the Government provided to local authorities to support businesses severely impacted by the pandemic.
“The City Council wants to provide financial help to taxi drivers who are legally required to obtain a licence to run their business. Although it is right that drivers continue to obtain licences to ensure Oxford’s taxis are as safe as possible, it did not seem fair that this cost should sit with them, so we're subsidising the costs involved."
Councillor Tom Hayes, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Green Transport and Zero Carbon Oxford
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