Liverpool City Council street knowledge test

Liverpool City Council requires new applicants, and anyone whose licence has expired, to pass its Street Knowledge Test. Before you can sit it you must complete the Liverpool Standard Part 1 training and pass your DBS and DVLA checks. The test covers the shortest journeys across key parts of the city and the addresses of tourist sites, hospitals, places to stay and other amenities. Always check the council's website before you book, because details can change.

Test format

Item	Detail
Questions	110 multiple-choice questions on Liverpool and the region
Pass mark	80 correct answers (about 73%)
Format	Partly or fully on computer; a communications assessment may be added on the day
Before the test	Liverpool Standard Part 1 with an approved provider; DBS and DVLA checks passed; driving licence held 12 months; certificate of good conduct if you lived abroad 3 months or more since age 18
Bring	DVLA licence showing your current address, a right-to-work document, your Liverpool Standard certificate (dated within 6 months), and a card for any resit fees - no cash
Arrive	At least 15 minutes before the start
Fee	£70 covers 3 attempts on 3 separate dates
After 3 fails	£30 for attempts 4 and 5, after a one-month "study rest"
Resits	If you passed some sections, the council may tell you that you need not resit them

Key fact: Turning up late (less than 15 minutes before the start) or not at all, without changing your booking, costs you one of your three attempts.

What the council does not publish: the time allowed, the number of sections or questions per section, and the section pass marks. No feedback is given on results, fees are never refunded, and no language translator is allowed. Anyone caught cheating is disqualified and barred from applying again for five years.

Liverpool Standard

• Part 1 (before the test): customer service, equality and diversity, tourism, licensing law and conditions, driver and passenger safety, disability access, street knowledge and route planning. The council lists Unite the Union Taxi Education as the approved provider.
• Part 2: an in-vehicle workplace assessment, passed within 12 months of your first licence. Without it, your licence will not be renewed.

Licence and checks

• Under 65: 3-year licence (£180). Over 65: 1-year licence (£75). If refused with no appeal, £60 is kept as an admin fee.
• Enhanced DBS through TaxiPlus, dated within 6 weeks; no convictions are ever "spent" for taxi licensing, so disclose everything.
• Group 2 medicals at 45, 50, 55 and 60, then yearly from 65.
• Appeals to the court within 21 days of written notice - a strict deadline.

Reporting deadlines (private hire conditions)

Event	Deadline
Under investigation, on police bail or facing court	24 hours
Fixed penalty, penalty points, conviction or caution	5 working days in writing
Change of address	7 days
Change of operator	72 hours
Insurance certificate not in the car when asked	Show it to the council within 72 hours
Lost or stolen plate	Council immediately; stolen plates also to Merseyside Police
Medical condition or medicine that may affect driving	Stop driving and contact the council at once

Conduct and local rules

• Never ply for hire or tout in a private hire vehicle, and do not take advance bookings yourself.
• No sexual conversation with passengers, even if they start it or call it banter.
• No child apparently under 10 in the front; no extra person without the hirer's consent.
• Take the shortest practicable route. Loud music that annoys anyone inside or outside is banned.
• Private hire plates: interior plate top left of the windscreen, rear plate fixed securely; door signs on both sides when available or hired.
• Cherry-picking - hackney drivers waiting with the TAXI light off to get more than the meter fare - is not tolerated. Keep the light on when available.

Hackney byelaws

Plates front and rear outside plus an illuminated number inside; wear your badge and show the duplicate inside; carry a fire extinguisher; take payment only at the end of the journey; use a working card terminal if asked; no e-cigarettes in the cab at any time. Search for lost property after each hiring, try to return it within 48 hours and tell the council within 72 hours; valuables go to a Merseyside Police enquiry office.

Hackney fares (from 31 March 2025)

Four rates: D (Day), N (Night), P (Peak: Friday 7pm to Saturday 7am, Saturday 7pm to Sunday 8am, bank holidays) and E (Christmas and New Year). D starts at £3.40 for the first 300 yards, then 20p per 165 yards; N starts at £4.25, then 25p. Only tolls and soiling (£40 inside, £10 outside) may be added - no card charges. For journeys ending 4 miles or more beyond the boundary you need not accept; agree a fare first or use the meter.

Worked example

D rate, 1,760 yards: 1,760 − 300 = 1,460; 1,460 ÷ 165 = 8.85, so 9 units (part units count) × 20p = £1.80; fare £3.40 + £1.80 = £5.20.

Local area study tips

• Centre: Lime Street station and Empire Theatre (Lime Street), St George's Hall, William Brown Street museums, Cavern Club (Mathew Street), Hope Street linking the two cathedrals, Strand Street on the waterfront.
• Football: Anfield (Anfield Road), Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium (Regent Road, Bramley-Moore Dock).
• Hospitals: Aintree (Lower Lane), Women's Hospital (Crown Street).
• Routes: Queens Drive (A5058) ring road; Speke Boulevard (A561) to John Lennon Airport; Queensway and Kingsway tunnels. Bootle and Aintree Racecourse are in Sefton, Huyton in Knowsley, Birkenhead in Wirral.

Safeguarding and equality

• Report signs of child exploitation to the police (999 if a child is in danger). The council can require CSE training.
• Carry assistance dogs and wheelchair users with no extra charge unless you hold and display a medical exemption.
• Contact Merseyside Police immediately if your own safety is at risk.

Quick check

• How many correct answers to pass? (80 of 110)
• What does the £70 fee cover? (3 attempts)
• What is cherry-picking? (Waiting with the TAXI light off for higher fares)