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Anyone considering work as a cab driver, whether for Uber or any other taxi company, will need to apply for a PCO license before they can get started. However, if you have been a PCO driver for a while, you’ll likely know that your license will need to be renewed every three years in order for it to remain valid and for you to continue working as a PCO driver.
Getting extremely simple, Transport For London’s PCO team will send out an application form to renew your license in good time. However, there are still a few things worth knowing in advance of receiving this form. Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about PCO license renewal.
As all PCO drivers are registered with TfL, the organisation will send out an application to renew four months before your current license is due to expire. This will come in paper form but it can also be completed online. However, applicants must be aware that PCO license renewal applications generally take a maximum of six weeks to be processed. Consequently, getting yours in as soon as possible will make it more likely that you can continue driving without a gap in your license as you wait for your application to be approved.
The supporting documentation you submit will be the same whether you apply to renew your PCO license online or through the post. This includes an up-to-date photograph, a medical declaration form, and an application for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check — though the latter is only required if your circumstances have changed since your last license application. Whichever way you renew your license, you will need to send the physical copy of your previous license back to TfL within the first week of its expiring.
As with a regular drivers license, it is illegal to drive with an out-of-date PCO license. It will also mean that you are voiding your car insurance policy. If you are caught driving with an expired license, you could be subject to a maximum fine of £2,500 with an infraction marked on your record, making it more difficult to work as a PCO driver in the future.
If your license expires and you do not renew it within three months of this expiry date, you will be removed from the TfL system. If you then wish to apply for another PCO license, you will need to do so from scratch, as if you were doing so for the first time, including undertaking all preliminary background checks. The date on your new license will begin from when it has been issued, not when the renewal application was made.
