Transport for London (TfL) have proposed an increase to the fees charged for licensing Private Hire drivers and vehicles.  The increase not only includes the application and license grant fee, but the TfL SERU assessment and other assessment fees.

TfL finance committee has stated there is a £4.9m deficit in the licensing process and by increased the fees they can bring this deficit down. 

Currently, the total cost of getting your PHV driver’s license is £310 (Application fee of £124 + Grant of licence fee £186).  This is set to increase to £343 (Application fee of £138 + Grant of licence fee of £205).  The SERU assessment fee will go up to £40 from £36, and resits will get the largest price increase, going from £16 to £30.  The English Language test and Topographical skills test will also see the same increase in price if the new proposals go through.

Here is a list of PHV licensing fees and how much they may increase to:

If the proposal goes ahead, then these new fees will come into effect from as early as September 2025.  From our experience, we know that these kinds of proposals often go through. 

Sadly, this will mean the ever-growing expense of becoming and working as a PHV driver is going up once again.  If you are looking to become a private hire driver or you haven’t taken you SERU assessment yet, we would recommend you get it done as soon as possible to avoid being stung by the new fee increase.