Stroud Taxi Knowledge Test

The Stroud taxi knowledge test is long, and it hides two smaller tests inside it. You need 67 correct answers out of 85, but you must also get at least 8 out of 10 in the taxi law section and 8 out of 10 in the Highway Code section. Score 75 overall with only 7 in the Highway Code and you fail. This guide explains who takes the test, the format, the must-pass sections, the local and long-distance routes it asks about, and how to practise.

Stroud District Council licenses drivers across a mostly rural district in Gloucestershire, stretching from Hardwicke near Gloucester down to Wotton-under-Edge. It does this under the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 for hackney carriages (taxis that can be hailed and use ranks) and the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 for private hire. Stroud has also signed up, with five other Gloucestershire councils, to the Gloucestershire common licensing standards, which set shared rules on safeguarding, convictions and enforcement. UK Driver Licence Prep is an independent study aid with no link to the council. The facts below come from the council's new driver guidance, its knowledge test guidance, its drivers policy (updated 27 June 2024) and its 2026/27 fees, checked in October 2026. Confirm the details on the council's assessments and training page before you book.

Who takes the Stroud taxi knowledge test

Stroud issues two kinds of driver badge:

• Private hire only. You can drive only a licensed private hire vehicle, on journeys pre-booked through a private hire operator licensed by Stroud. No knowledge test.
• Dual hackney carriage and private hire. You can also drive a hackney carriage and take immediate hires from taxi ranks in the district. Knowledge test required.

So the test is the price of the hackney side of the badge. If you only want pre-booked work, you skip it. Before deciding, note one point from the council's guidance: Uber does not hold an operator licence with Stroud. If that is the work you want, the council tells you to apply to a neighbouring council where Uber is licensed, such as Gloucester, Cheltenham, Tewkesbury or South Gloucestershire. Our guide to private hire vs hackney carriage explains the two trades in more detail.

The Stroud test at a glance

	Detail
Who	Dual hackney carriage and private hire badge applicants only
Where	Council offices at Ebley Mill, Stroud
Format	Written multiple choice with some basic maths; a verbal test can be requested
Questions	85
Time	Up to 1.5 hours
Pass mark	80% overall (67 correct), plus at least 8/10 in Taxi Law and Policy and 8/10 in the Highway Code
Fee	£71 (fees from 1 April 2026)
Retakes	Allowed; pay the fee each time
Booking	Email the licensing team to arrange a date, and pay online
Results	Given verbally after the test, or in writing

The council does not publish how many questions each of the other sections has, any limit on attempts, or a waiting time between attempts. If you need any of those, ask the licensing team when you book.

Key fact: Two sections of ten are must-pass. Three wrong in either one is a fail, whatever your total.

The two must-pass sections

Think of the test as one long paper and two short ones. The short ones decide more results than people expect, because there is so little room for error: two mistakes allowed in each.

Taxi Law and Policy (8 out of 10)

Questions come from three documents, all on the council's taxi and private hire policy page:

1. The Common Licensing Standards for Hackney and Private Hire Drivers in Gloucestershire (1 October 2021).
2. Stroud's Drivers Taxi and Private Hire Policy (1 October 2021, updated 27 June 2024).
3. Stroud's Vehicles Taxi and Private Hire Policy.

Expect questions on reporting deadlines, conduct, the dress code, lost property, disabled passengers, smoking, the medical standard and how the council treats convictions. The policy tables below cover the most testable points. Practise in Stroud law and local policy.

Highway Code (8 out of 10)

The council says these questions are based on the national rules for safe driving, which means the Highway Code on GOV.UK. The usual topics are stopping distances, speed limits, parking and waiting rules, junctions and roundabouts, the 2022 hierarchy of road users, motorway rules and signs. Our page on the Highway Code for taxi drivers lists the rules council tests ask about most, with rule numbers. Drill it in Stroud Highway Code practice.

Exam tip: Do the law and Highway Code questions slowly and check them twice. You have 90 minutes for 85 questions, a little over a minute each, so you can afford extra time on the 20 that can sink you.

The rest of the paper

Locations in Stroud District

Questions on towns and villages, pubs, clubs, hotels, supermarkets, public buildings, train stations, museums, schools and the names of main roads, all inside the district boundary. The council's guidance notes how big the district is, from Hardwicke in the north to Wotton-under-Edge in the south. If you are unsure where the boundary runs, the licensing team will clarify.

Routes in the district and beyond

Two kinds of route question:

• Inside the district: the names and numbers of the main roads, and how they connect the towns.
• Long distance: routes to major destinations outside the district, such as airports, ferry ports and large sport and entertainment venues, using the motorway network.

Basic maths

Simple calculations such as working out change for a customer. The worked examples below show the kind of sum to expect. Practise in Stroud fares and numeracy.

Learning Stroud District

Towns and villages

Learn the main towns first, then the villages around them:

Area	Places to know
Stroud and the Five Valleys	Stroud, Rodborough, Cainscross, Ebley, Chalford, Brimscombe, Thrupp
North	Painswick, Hardwicke, Frampton on Severn
West of Stroud	Stonehouse, Eastington, King's Stanley
South	Nailsworth, Minchinhampton, Dursley, Cam, Wotton-under-Edge
The Severn vale	Berkeley, Slimbridge

Main roads

Road	What to know
M5	Runs north to south along the west of the district: junction 12 for Hardwicke and south Gloucester, junction 13 for Stonehouse and Stroud, junction 14 for the south of the district via Falfield
A419	From M5 junction 13 through Stonehouse and Stroud, then east up the Golden Valley towards Cirencester
A46	North from Stroud through Painswick towards Cheltenham, and south through Nailsworth towards Bath
A38	Runs along the Severn vale, west of Dursley and Cam

Places drivers are sent to

Stroud, Stonehouse and Cam & Dursley railway stations; the council offices at Ebley Mill; Stroud town centre; and visitor sites such as WWT Slimbridge, Berkeley Castle and Woodchester Mansion. Learn which road each is on. Practise in Stroud local area.

Long-distance routes to learn

You won't be asked for every turn, but you should know the motorway route to the big destinations:

Destination	Route outline
Bristol	M5 south from junction 13 or 14
Bristol Airport	M5 south past Bristol, then local roads to the airport south of the city
Birmingham Airport	M5 north, then the M42 to junction 6
London Heathrow	A419 east to the M4 at junction 15 (Swindon), then the M4 east
Cardiff	M5 south to the M4 interchange at Almondsbury, then the M4 west over the Severn
Cheltenham Racecourse	A46 north through Painswick to Cheltenham

Check each route on a map yourself and learn the junction numbers. The test asks for the right roads, not the fastest app suggestion on the day.

Stroud rules you must know

These come from the Drivers Taxi and Private Hire Policy (updated 27 June 2024) and the Gloucestershire common standards.

Reporting deadlines

Event	Deadline
Arrest and release, charge or conviction for a sexual, dishonesty, violence or motoring offence	48 hours, to the issuing authority
Any other conviction, caution, fixed penalty or pending court case	7 working days
Arrest and release for any other matter	3 working days
Change of address, name or other details on your application	7 days, in writing
Start or stop working for a proprietor or operator	7 days, in writing
A health problem that may affect your fitness to drive	Immediately
Stop working as a driver	Return your licence and both badges within 7 days

Conduct and passengers

• Wear one driver badge where it can be seen, and display the second badge on the passenger-side dashboard. Every driver is issued with two.
• Be polite, help with luggage if asked, and arrive on time when hired.
• Take the shortest or most economical route unless the hirer asks otherwise.
• Don't eat or drink in the vehicle while working, and turn off the radio if a passenger asks.
• Animals other than assistance dogs are carried only at the driver's discretion, and in the rear.
• No smoking in the vehicle at any time, even with no passengers. Taxis and private hire vehicles are smoke-free by law under the Health Act 2006.

Dress code

The policy lists what is not acceptable: dirty or ripped clothing, words or graphics that are offensive or suggestive, beachwear, and flip-flops or any footwear not secured around the heel.

Lost property

Check the vehicle each time a passenger gets out. If something is left behind, take it to a local police station and get a receipt from the duty officer.

Disabled passengers

You must not refuse a passenger because of their disability or charge extra. Don't leave the meter running while you help a disabled passenger in or out. If you know a passenger is disabled when you take a booking, help them find the vehicle, for example by phoning when you arrive or giving the car's colour and registration. You must carry an assistance dog unless you hold a medical exemption certificate, which needs GP authorisation and medical evidence, and the exemption notice must be displayed in the vehicle.

Convictions and motoring offences

Under the Gloucestershire standards, taxi and private hire drivers are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, so convictions that would be "spent" for other jobs can still be considered. On motoring, a "minor" offence is one with 3 penalty points or fewer. A licence is normally refused while more than one minor offence, or any major one, is still valid on your licence.

Key fact: Stroud's 48-hour rule covers arrests too, not only convictions, for sexual, dishonesty, violence and motoring offences. Not reporting an arrest can count against your honesty even if you are never charged.

Worked maths examples

Change. The fare is £17.40 and the passenger pays with a £20 note and a 50p coin so you can give a round amount back. Total handed over: £20.50. Change: £20.50 − £17.40 = £3.10.

Journey time. A passenger wants to be at an airport for 10:30. The route is 48 miles and you expect to average 48 mph on the motorway: 48 ÷ 48 = 1 hour of driving. Add 20 minutes for town roads and delays, so leave at 09:10.

Splitting a fare. Four passengers share a £26.80 fare equally: £26.80 ÷ 4 = £6.70 each.

Other steps to a Stroud dual badge

The knowledge test is step 5 of the council's seven-step process. Before it, the council must be satisfied that your DBS certificate and DVLA record show nothing that rules you out. The other requirements:

1. Age 18 or over, with a full DVLA driving licence held for at least 12 months.
2. Enhanced DBS check, paid at application (initial payment £61.50, non-refundable), then the DBS Update Service once licensed, with six-monthly checks.
3. English proficiency: a suitable qualification such as GCSE English, or the council's approved English Proficiency Test.
4. Driver Assessment Certificate from one of the council's approved driving assessment providers.
5. Group 2 medical by your GP, or by a practitioner who has your summary medical record (no more than two months old). Repeat medicals every five years from 45 to 65, then yearly.
6. Safeguarding and Equalities Training, with refreshers every three years.
7. Right to work, NR3 register check and tax check where it applies.

Licence fees from 1 April 2026: £171 for a new 1-year licence or £324 for a new 3-year licence; renewals £103 for 1 year or £260 for 3 years. Fees change each April.

How our Stroud practice matches the real test

Our Stroud route has 2,217 questions: about 2,000 shared council questions on the Highway Code, signs, law, safeguarding and equality, and the rest written for Stroud's policy, places, routes and maths. The ten mock tests follow the real format: 85 questions in 90 minutes, 67 to pass, and at least 80% in the law and Highway Code sections, scored the same way.

Where we differ: the real test is on paper or verbal, ours is on screen. Our place questions cover the main towns, roads and landmarks but not every pub and school in the district, so add a map and local drives. The Stroud study note sums up the format and rules, and the printable question sheet gives you questions and an answer key on paper.

For the shared law behind every council test, see our taxi and private hire law note and the council taxi knowledge test guide. Working towards Bristol instead? Its test has 100 questions; compare it on the Bristol taxi knowledge test page.

Your study plan

1. Today: take the free Stroud diagnostic and note your law and Highway Code scores separately.
2. This week: read the drivers policy and the Gloucestershire common standards. Learn the reporting deadlines table.
3. Next week: drill law and the Highway Code until you score 9 or 10 out of 10 every time. Two mistakes is the limit on the day.
4. Weeks three and four: learn the district's towns, roads and landmarks, and the long-distance motorway routes, with a map.
5. Before you book: sit the free Stroud mock 1 under a 90-minute timer. Aim for three mocks in a row at 85% or more. Pro unlocks mocks 2 to 10 and section practice from £6.99 a week; see pricing.