Combined Assessment

Drive Safely, Assist Passengers Confidently
A practical on-road and passenger-assistance assessment designed for drivers of wheelchair accessible taxis and private hire vehicles.

Key Details

Assessment Duration

90 minutes

Format

Driving assessment plus wheelchair assessment in one session, in your own Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle

Assessor

DVSA Approved ADI and Fleet Accredited assessors

On Passing

BLT Driver Training Certificate, recognised by licensing authorities

Booking

Book and pay online; an assessor contacts you within 2–3 working days

The Combination Taxi Driving Assessment evaluates both your driving ability and your competence in assisting passengers who use wheelchairs.

This combined session is ideal for drivers operating wheelchair-accessible taxis or private hire vehicles who need to meet both licensing requirements in one test.

During the assessment, you will demonstrate:

Vehicle safety checks
Observation and hazard awareness
Road positioning and speed control
Following the Highway Code
Courtesy and passenger care
Route planning and decision-making
Safely load, secure and unload a wheelchair passenger
Maintain passenger comfort and safety
Communicate respectfully and ensure passenger comfort
Carry out the process following correct manual-handling principles

Cost: £119 (Including VAT)
Duration: 90 minutes

You can book and pay securely online. Once payment is received, a booking confirmation is sent to the candidate’s email address and a VAT payment receipt sent to the payee’s email address.

An assessor will contact you within 2–3 working days to arrange your date, time and location.

All assessments are conducted by DVSA Approved ADI and Fleet Accredited assessors.

Before your assessment can begin, you must present to the assessor a valid photo Driving Licence.

Failure to provide will result in your assessment being cancelled, and your fee forfeited.

For the Driving Assessment you must provide your own vehicle for the assessment. It must be:

Roadworthy, clean and safe
Taxed and insured (for the purpose of the assessment)
Suitable for passenger transport, not a van or convertible

Your vehicle must be:

Not be a taxi/private hire vehicle – unless you are a taxi/private hire license holder
Right-hand drive
Have less than 9 passenger seats
Weigh no more than 3.5t
Have 4 wheels
Have head restraints in all seats
Have an unobstructed rear window

Vehicle checks will be carried out by the assessor before the assessment begins. Failure to present a roadworthy vehicle will result in your assessment not going ahead and your payment fee will be forfeited. You will have to rebook and pay again.

Your vehicle must be in a roadworthy condition (able to pass an MOT test) – Check your vehicle is safe to drive – GOV.UK

You can also check whether your vehicle is affected by a safety recall using the UK Government Vehicle Recall Service. Visit https://www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-recall

If hiring a vehicle for the assessment, you must declare to the hire company that it is being used for a driving assessment. You must also provide a letter on headed paper from the hire company confirming that they give permission for the vehicle to be used for the purposes of an assessment and is appropriately insured. This must be presented to the assessor before the assessment commences. Failure to do this will result in the assessment not going ahead.

For the Wheelchair Assessment you must provide:

You must provide a Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) that meets licensing and insurance requirements.
The vehicle must have the appropriate equipment or ramp system fitted.
If you do not have a WAV you should contact a local taxi/private hire company and arrange to hire one for the assessment
The Assessor will provide the wheelchair to be used during the assessment.

To successfully pass your Driving Assessment, you must:

Record no serious or dangerous driving faults, and
Have no more than 9 driving faults in total.

We are unable to provide training in preparation for a driving assessment. We suggest contacting an Advanced Driving Instructor (ADI) in your local area.

To successfully pass your Wheelchair Assessment you must demonstrate a high standard of safety across all aspects of the assessment.

You’ll receive a marking sheet for each assessment whether you pass or fail.

If you pass, you’ll also receive a BLT Driver Training Certificate for each assessment, recognised by licensing authorities nationwide.
If you do not pass, the marking sheet will highlight areas for improvement to help you prepare for another attempt (which must be rebooked and paid for).

We are unable to provide training in preparation for a wheelchair assessment. We suggest viewing the vehicle manufactures guidance online in preparation.

You must provide 7 days notice to cancel or change your assessment
You will need to rebook and pay again if you do not attend, are more than 5 minutes late for your assessment or do not cancel with 7 or more days notice.
If you need to cancel your assessment, you must notify us as soon as possible by emailing taxi@bltdrivertraining.co.uk
Refunds and reschedules are managed according to our official Cancellation Policy in the Terms and Conditions.
- Read the Full Terms and Conditions

If you book your assessment within 7 days of your preferred date, this is considered a short notice booking.

Short notice bookings are non-refundable once confirmed. Read the Full Terms and Conditions

Combined Assessment Booking & Payment

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Step 1 of 3

Candidate's Details

Candidate's Name*

First Last

Candidate's Date of Birth*

Candidate's Driving Licence Number (as shown on licence)*

Mobile Phone Number*

Email Address*

Enter Email Confirm Email

Name of Local Licensing Authority*

Important Information!
Candidates are to answer 10 questions relating to the Highway Code.
3 Manoeuvres and a compulsory emergency stop

It will be the responsibility of the candidate to provide a suitable vehicle for the test and to demonstrate the following:

A valid MOT test certificate
A valid tax for the vehicle
A valid insurance policy
That it is in a roadworthy condition
That it is internally and externally clean

Important Message:

Private Hire – candidates are required to book a Taxi Assessment, and this will include:

Three districts and two places of local interest in Rutland taken at random and the candidate must be able to take the quickest route between each. When route planning, the candidate will need to consider possible roadworks and that the quickest route may not necessarily be the shortest route geographically.

Hackney Carriage – candidates are required to book a Combination Assessment, and this will include:

Knowledge of the county of Rutland and its environs.
A driving assessment to include 5 routes to specific destinations taken at random (if before attempting a street the candidate informs the assessor that they do not know its location an alternative street might be given on one occasion only).
Use of wheelchair accessibility features including embarking, securing, and disembarking the wheelchair. A wheelchair accessible vehicle is required for this element of the assessment.

Important Information! Portsmouth City Council candidates are only permitted to take 3 attempts at the assessment

Important Information! Please note that Southampton City Council will not licence drivers who have not held a full UK photo card licence, or equivalent, for 2 years or more.

Important Information! Bedford Borough Council candidates are only permitted to take 2 attempts at the assessment

Important message:

Private Hire – candidates are required to book a Taxi Assessment and this will include:

• Three districts and two places of local interest in Peterborough taken at random and the candidate must be able to take the quickest route between each. When route planning, the candidate will need to consider possible roadworks and that the quickest route may not necessarily be the shortest route geographically.
Hackney Carriage – candidates are required to book a Combination Assessment and this will include:

Candidate's Address

Address*

Street Address Address Line 2 City County ZIP / Postal Code

Billing Name and Address

If your billing address is not the same as your home address, please amend it now. This address should match the name and registered address of the credit or debit card that you intend to pay with.

Cardholder's Name*

First Last

Cardholder's Email Address*

Enter Email Confirm Email

Cardholder's Address*

Click if the same as Candidate's Address information

Street Address Address Line 2 City County ZIP / Postal Code

Important Information

Please read carefully as this forms part of the Terms and Conditions for your Assessment.

The Taxi Driver Assessment

For the Taxi Assessment to take place you must;

• Bring your photocard driver’s licence with you; this must be presented before the Assessment.
• Your licence should be at your current address and in date.
• If you have the older style paper licence, then you will need to bring an acceptable form of photo identification such as a passport.
• Eyesight must conform to current legislation (20m / 68ft) so if you require glasses /contact lenses then bring these with you
• You must provide a vehicle for the Assessment.
• The vehicle must be in a roadworthy condition and comply with current road legislation i.e. taxed, MOT (if required), insured for the purpose of the assessment, meet current DVLA rules for number plates and fit for purpose i.e. for carrying passengers.
• The vehicle must be right hand drive, have no more than 8 passenger seats, weigh no more than 3.5t, have 4 wheels, have head restraints on both front seats and have an unobstructed rear window. It must be able to do at least 62 mph and have an mph speedometer. A van or a convertible car is not classed as a suitable vehicle for a Taxi Assessment.
• Interior of the car should be clean and free of all types of litter and clutter. The examiner will not be expected to conduct a test sat in a dirty seat and will be at liberty to terminate the test should the car interior be in a dirty or cluttered state
• Be punctual, if you are later than 5 minutes the Assessment may be cancelled at the discretion of the Assessor and you will still be charged the full fee.
• Appropriate footwear should be worn, for example, no flip flops, sandals or high heels.
• Candidates are NOT PERMITTED to take the driving assessment in a Private Hire or Hackney plated vehicle except under the following 2 circumstances:

1. The vehicle is registered/plated to you, the candidate, and you have been referred to take the assessment by your Local Authority.
2. The vehicle is registered/plated to you and you want to change/be licensed to another Authority.

Please allow 1 hour for the assessment. You will be asked 2 maintenance related questions (show me / tell me) and be expected to drive for approximately 45 minutes on a variety of road types and be asked to perform 2 reversing manoeuvres with the possibility of an emergency stop. You will be asked to drive independently of directions for a 10 minute period following road signs and directions to a particular destination. There will be a 10 to 15 minute debrief at which point you will be advised of the result.

A maximum of 9 minor driving faults are allowed. If you exceed 9 minor driving faults or commit any serious or dangerous faults, this will result in a failure.

Please note that if you take your Assessment in an automatic, you may not be licenced by your authority to drive a manual vehicle.

From time to time, a Senior Assessor may sit in during an Assessment for quality control purposes.

The Wheelchair Assessment

For the Wheelchair Assessment to take place you must;

• Bring your photocard driver’s licence with you; this must be presented before the assessment.
• Your licence should be at your current address and in date.
• If you have the older style paper licence then you will need to bring an appropriate form of photo identification such as a passport.
• You must provide a wheel chair accessible vehicle for the assessment.
• Be punctual, if you are later than 5 minutes the test may be cancelled at the discretion of the examiner and you will still be charged.

Please allow 20 minutes for the assessment. You will be expected to:

• Display competency in the assembly of the wheelchair ramp
• Successfully manoeuvre wheelchair passenger into the vehicle
• Secure firmly your wheelchair passenger
• Safely unload passenger
• Replace ramp to original position
• Provide a running commentary throughout

Code of Conduct
Terms and Conditions

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Combined Assessment Test

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Support

Preparing for Your Assessment

To give yourself the best chance of success, we strongly recommend that you take a driving lesson or assessment drive with an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) before booking your assessment.

You can also review these official resources to help you prepare:

For more preparation tips, see our Taxi Driver Support.

'Show Me, Tell Me’ Vehicle Safety Questions

(GOV.UK)

The Highway Code

(GOV.UK)

Driving Eyesight Rules

(GOV.UK)

How To Become A Licensed Taxi or Private Hire Driver

PDF Guide

Why Choose BLT Driver Training?

Nationwide coverage — wherever you are in the UK

Recognised by licensing authorities across the UK

Trainers are DVSA ADI & Fleet Accredited

Tailored delivery: in-person, virtual or online

Transparent, consistent processes and reporting

Every booking supports the Blue Lamp Trust’s charity work.

Combined Assessment

Key Details

Combined Assessment Booking & Payment

Candidate's Details

Candidate's Address

Billing Name and Address

Important Information

The Taxi Driver Assessment

The Wheelchair Assessment

Support

Preparing for Your Assessment

Why Choose BLT Driver Training?

Need Help?

For preparation guidance, tips and answers to common questions, visit our support page or contact us.

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