Birmingham private hire knowledge test questions: what each part covers

Birmingham's driver guide says the private hire test has three elements, each with six multiple-choice questions and four answer options. The map (A to Z) element was removed on 20 June 2018.

To pass, you must answer all six plying for hire questions correctly and make no more than two mistakes in each of the other two parts. The council also says the knowledge test checks that you can communicate in English to a reasonable standard.

• Legal questions: about private hire driver and vehicle law. The answers are in the Private Hire Legal Information document.
• Licence conditions: about the conditions the council attaches to your licence. The answers are in the combined driver and vehicle conditions.
• Plying for hire: about the consequences of doing work that was not booked through your operator. All six must be answered correctly.

Source: Guide to driver licensing (DG1.1) (opens in a new tab) (Birmingham City Council, What is the knowledge test? (page 6); Private Hire test (page 7))[1]

The guide warns that questions must be answered accurately, especially where numbers or time limits are involved. These are the time limits in the two documents the test is based on.

Do not mix these up with another council's rules. For example, Wolverhampton gives 48 hours to report a change of address, not 7 days. Reporting duties after a conviction are explained in our criminal convictions guide.

Sources: Private Hire Combined Driver and Vehicle Licence Conditions (opens in a new tab) (Birmingham City Council, Conditions 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 27; introduction)[2]; Private Hire Legal Information (opens in a new tab) (Birmingham City Council, Use of vehicle (pages 3 and 4))[3]; Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing Policy (12.06.2026), including licence conditions, Guidelines on Fitness and Propriety, fees and Taxi CCTV Policy (opens in a new tab) (City of Wolverhampton Council, Private Hire Driver Licence Conditions, condition 1)[4]

The Legal Information document, which the council says covers what you will be questioned about, includes these rules:

• Your driver licence, vehicle licence and operator must all be from Birmingham City Council. A Birmingham driver cannot drive a vehicle licensed by Solihull or any other council.
• Family members may not drive a licensed private hire vehicle unless they hold a Birmingham private hire driver licence.
• Carrying more people than the number on the vehicle's licence plate is a criminal offence and may invalidate your insurance.
• Private hire vehicles must not wait on taxi ranks (only hackney carriages may) and may not use Birmingham bus lanes, even those that taxis can use.
• Smoking in the vehicle is illegal at any time, working or not, and you may be prosecuted if you let passengers smoke.
• You must carry a passenger's assistance dog unless you have a medical exemption notice.
• Charge only the fare agreed between the operator and the customer. If none was agreed, do not charge more than your fare table.

Source: Private Hire Legal Information (opens in a new tab) (Birmingham City Council, Authority to drive (page 2); Use of vehicle (pages 3 and 4); Requirements for drivers (pages 5 and 6))[3]

The combined conditions are part of what you will be tested on. Key points include:

• Wear your badge so passengers can plainly see it whenever you work.
• Do not use or carry a mobile phone in the vehicle to invite or accept bookings, unless it is installed only for your operator's booking app.
• Do not respond to a booking unless the operator gives you the passenger's name, the time and place of pick-up, the destination and the fare if applicable.
• Do not take a booking yourself and then pass the booking or passenger details to your operator.
• Do not accept a return booking directly from a passenger. Tell them to book it through the operator.
• Do not park near bars, clubs, takeaways, hotels, hospitals or similar places in a way that looks like you are available for hire, unless the operator has given you a booking.
• Go to the destination by the shortest route unless the passenger asks otherwise, and give a written receipt on your operator's stationery if asked.

Sources: Private Hire Combined Driver and Vehicle Licence Conditions (opens in a new tab) (Birmingham City Council, Conditions 3, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17)[2]; Private Hire Legal Information (opens in a new tab) (Birmingham City Council, Requirements for drivers (page 5))[3]

A Birmingham private hire driver may only collect passengers whose job was pre-booked through a Birmingham-licensed operator and passed to them by that operator. Before collecting anyone, you should already know the passenger's name, the time and place of pick-up, the destination and any agreed fare.

If someone in the street asks you for a lift, you must refuse and tell them to contact a licensed operator. Taking an unbooked passenger is a criminal offence and is likely to void your insurance, so you could be prosecuted for plying for hire and for having no insurance. The council's committee policy says a driver found guilty of plying for hire and invalidating their insurance should have their licence revoked. Read our full plying for hire guide.

Source: Private Hire Legal Information (opens in a new tab) (Birmingham City Council, Plying for hire (page 8))[3]

These are our own examples, written from the council's documents to show the style of question. They are not real test questions.

1. Your driver's badge is stolen. What must you do? Answer: tell the police, then give the police report number to the Licensing Office within 3 days.

2. A passenger asks you to collect them later for the journey home. Can you agree? Answer: no. You must not accept a return booking directly from a passenger; they must book it through the operator.

3. You find a phone left in your car. What must you do? Answer: hand it in at a West Midlands Police station within 72 hours and get a receipt, then send a copy of the receipt to the Licensing Office within 3 days.

Source: Private Hire Combined Driver and Vehicle Licence Conditions (opens in a new tab) (Birmingham City Council, Conditions 5, 10 and 15)[2]

Read the Legal Information document and the combined conditions from start to finish, then make your own list of every number and time limit. Then test yourself. Our free Birmingham practice test follows the same three parts and marking rules, using original questions written from those documents. For a comparison with other councils' tests, see how to prepare for a private hire test.

The driver guide in our sources is dated April 2022 and the conditions April 2017. Check the council's website for newer versions before your test.

For the rest of the application, from booking the test with TTC to collecting your badge, see how to get a Birmingham private hire licence.

Sources: Guide to driver licensing (DG1.1) (opens in a new tab) (Birmingham City Council, Private Hire test (page 7))[1]; Private Hire Combined Driver and Vehicle Licence Conditions (opens in a new tab) (Birmingham City Council, Document date (April 2017))[2]