Having the idea of increasing the earning or having a boss-less job that offers you freedom in choosing time and location of your career, is always a critical decision as you might not be successful in that. But, let me tell you something cool. Becoming a private driver is a way to choose becoming more independent in your job. You ask why? Well, clearly it offers you the following benefits:
Was it enough? In other words, by becoming a PCO driver, you can be a freelance taxi driver! so if you decided to choose this job as a part-time job, second job or even your main job, don’t miss this article as there are a few preparations of becoming an official PCO driver. One of these preparations is having a PCO license. Let's see what is needed to get a PCO license.
In order to get a PCO license you need to obey the following terms so that you are qualified to get one.
If you have the mentioned 6 conditions, then you have the possibility to register for a PCO license. In order to get a PCO license you have to go through the steps below:
Register online through the official website of TfL (transport for London) to get a PCO license (https://tfl.gov.uk) . Registration will ask you to provide the driver photo plus some other personal information and won’t take much long. Consider that, if you weren’t living in the UK for the past three months, there is an additional form needed to be completed to provide details of your abroad job and home.
Collect the documents of DBS, medical health proof, and fluency in English.
Note that even if you are a native English speaker, you will also have to prove your English fluency. Some accepted certifications are IELTS (International English Language Test System) and Trinity College London's ISE I qualification.
The medical check-up form is needed to be done by a GP. Even if you are not planning to register for a PCO license, it is a good idea to have a check-up every six months. In this form you are tested by the following 14 items:
This test will show if you are physically and mentally qualified for this job role.
The DBS document will also prove that you are having a clear background which means you have a good character.
There is a test that needs to be done (only if they ask you) called Topographical test which examines your map reading skills. As a PCO driver you have to be skilled enough to read the maps easily to find the best routes.
After doing all the previous steps and filling the forms, you are asked to pay the application fee. The total cost of PCO license is estimated as:
The total cost would be around £650.00 + the GP medical test fee.
Having a PCO car is the next step of becoming a PCO driver. The PCO car can be either your personal car with valid insurance if it meets the conditions of the PHV operator or a PCO rental car which is ready to join the desired companies (such as Uber) and start working. Note that if you choose to use your personal vehicle, it should be a minivan or a four door car that is matched with all the terms of the vehicles for the company you apply for. As a recommendation, we offer you to choose a rental plan as it is a more rational choice.
Becoming a PCO driver is one of the best options of raising incomes as it has its customer every time of the year, the month, the week and the day. If you are planning to select this role as your main or semi-main career, let us congratulate you on your great decision. In this article a step by step guide of getting a PCO license in London was mentioned, and we hope it would be useful for the applicants.