Manchester taxi knowledge test
Based on Stage 3: skills and knowledge test, stage 4: licence review, stage 5: licence issued (Manchester City Council, dates under Sources) and 6 other sources. Checked .
A 20-minute computer skills assessment, then a knowledge test: an A-Z section (using the A-Z, locations, byelaws) and a safeguarding section, plus a routes section for hackney carriage applicants.
The test at a glance
| Council | Manchester City Council |
|---|---|
| Licences | Hackney carriage and private hire |
| Skills assessment | On a computer, about 20 minutes: literacy, comprehension, numeracy and the Highway Code. You must answer every question correctly before you can take the knowledge test. |
| Section 1, A-Z | 25 questions in 30 minutes, in three parts. Pass marks: 4 (using the A-Z), 8 (locations), 8 (byelaws). You must pass all three parts. |
| Section 2, routes (hackney carriage only) | 25 questions in 40 minutes, in four parts. Pass marks: 8 (routes, choose the shortest route), 4 (motorways), 8 (districts), 4 (compellable areas). You must pass all four parts. |
| Section 3, safeguarding | 10 questions in 20 minutes; pass mark 8. |
| Private hire areas | Private hire applicants sit Sections 1 and 3 and choose Area 1 (North), Area 2 (Central) or Area 3 (South). |
| Fees | Skills assessment £42; knowledge test £74; appointment (ID and right to work) £38. These are on top of the driver licence fee: £255 new, £254 renewal. |
How to book
- When you reach Stage 3, the Council emails you the training material you need.
- The Council emails you to pay for the skills assessment, then sends you an appointment. You are told about the knowledge test at that appointment.
- You must pass the skills assessment before you can take the knowledge test.
- After you pass, your documents are reviewed (Stage 4, within 4 working days) and your licence is issued (Stage 5).
Manchester City Council: Stage 3 skills and knowledge test
This site isn't the council. Booking and payment happen on the official site.
About the Manchester test
Manchester City Council licenses hackney carriage and private hire drivers. Stage 3 of becoming a driver is a skills assessment on a computer, then a knowledge test, both at the Council's test centre.
The Council's website blocks automated access, so we read its pages from Internet Archive copies made in 2026. The test format and fees below come from those copies. Check the Council's Stage 3 page before you book, in case anything has changed since.
Our practice covers the byelaws part, Manchester locations (checked on OpenStreetMap) and safeguarding. We cannot practise the A-Z map-reading part or the hackney carriage routes section online. We are not the Council.
Practise for the Manchester test
Steps to a licence in Manchester
- Stage 1: apply.
- Stage 2: application appointment (ID and right to work).
- Stage 3: skills assessment, then the knowledge test.
- Stage 4: the Council reviews your documents, within 4 working days of passing.
- Stage 5: your licence is issued.
What Manchester doesn't publish
We couldn't confirm these from the council's own pages, so ask the licensing team if they matter to you.
- How many of the 25 Section 1 questions are in each part (using the A-Z, locations, byelaws). The Council gives only the pass marks.
- Which locations each private hire area (North, Central, South) covers.
- Whether Manchester's hackney carriage byelaws have changed since October 2017. That is the latest archived copy we could find; the Council's current byelaws page blocked us.
- Which documents the byelaws questions are drawn from (hackney carriage byelaws only, or the private hire driver conditions too).
- A December 2014 committee report on the knowledge test, which search results say added a 10-question safeguarding section with a pass mark of 8. We read only search summaries of it.
- How the Greater Manchester Minimum Licensing Standards affect the test.
Manchester taxi test questions people ask
What is in Manchester's taxi knowledge test?
Section 1 (A-Z) has three parts: using the A-Z, locations and byelaws. Section 3 is safeguarding. Hackney carriage applicants also sit Section 2 (routes), which covers routes, motorways, districts and compellable areas. Private hire applicants sit Sections 1 and 3. This is from the Council's Stage 3 page as archived in April 2026.
What is the pass mark?
Each part has its own pass mark, and you must pass every part. Section 1: 4 for using the A-Z, 8 for locations, 8 for byelaws. Section 2: 8 for routes, 4 for motorways, 8 for districts, 4 for compellable areas. Section 3: 8 out of 10 for safeguarding.
What is the skills assessment?
A computer test of about 20 minutes on literacy, comprehension, numeracy and the Highway Code. You must answer every question correctly before you can take the knowledge test.
How much does it cost?
The Council's fees page (archived June 2026) gives £42 for the skills assessment, £74 for the knowledge test and £38 for the ID and right to work appointment. These are on top of the driver licence fee of £255 (new) or £254 (renewal). Check the fees page before you pay.
Can I practise the A-Z part here?
No. It tests reading a printed A-Z street map, which we cannot copy online. Practise with a current Manchester A-Z.
Do private hire drivers need the byelaws?
Yes. The byelaws part is in Section 1, which both hackney carriage and private hire applicants sit. Our byelaws practice covers the hackney carriage byelaws and the private hire driver conditions.
Where do I get the training material?
The Council says it emails you the training material, including safeguarding material, when you reach Stage 3.
Sources
- Stage 3: skills and knowledge test, stage 4: licence review, stage 5: licence issued, Manchester City Council, undated web page. Archived copy of 19 April 2026 (live page blocked automated access): https://web.archive.org/web/20260419090258/https://www.manchester.gov.uk/taxis-and-private-hire/taxi-and-private-hire-drivers-information/become-a-licensed-hackney-carriage-or-private-hire-driver-in-manchester/stage-3-skills-and-knowledge-test-stage-4-licence-review-stage-5-licence-issued. Checked 29 October 2026.
- Taxi licence fees: driver applications (hackney carriage and private hire), Manchester City Council, undated web page. Archived copy of 8 June 2026 (live page blocked automated access): https://web.archive.org/web/20260608084847/https://www.manchester.gov.uk/taxis-and-private-hire/taxi-and-private-hire-drivers-information/taxi-licence-fees/driver-applications-hackney-carriage-and-private-hire. Checked 29 October 2026.
- Driver training and safeguarding, Manchester City Council, undated web page. Archived copy of 15 April 2026 (live page blocked automated access): https://web.archive.org/web/20260415003928/https://www.manchester.gov.uk/taxis-and-private-hire/taxi-and-private-hire-drivers-information/driver-training-and-safeguarding. Says safeguarding training material is emailed at Stage 3. Checked 29 October 2026.
- Manchester City Council Byelaws for Hackney Carriages, Manchester City Council, undated scanned PDF (file created 20 June 2016). Archived copy of 26 October 2017 (live page blocked automated access): https://web.archive.org/web/20171026144946/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/24165/taxi_byelaws.pdf. No later copy archived. Checked 29 October 2026.
- Private hire driver conditions (licences issued from 29/11/2021), Manchester City Council, footer says 'Revised Sept 2021'. Archived copy of 5 March 2026 (live page blocked automated access): https://web.archive.org/web/20260305105014/https://www.manchester.gov.uk/__data/assets/file/0022/123259/new_private_hire_conditions_for_licences_issued_from_29112021.pdf. Checked 29 October 2026.
- Knowledge Test (Licensing and Appeals Committee report, 15 December 2014), Manchester City Council, not archived and blocked to automated access; we read only search-result summaries, so its contents are unconfirmed. Checked 29 October 2026.
- OpenStreetMap (Nominatim search), OpenStreetMap contributors, used to check the locations questions. Checked 29 October 2026.
Councils update their tests and policies, often yearly. If something here no longer matches your council's guidance, the council is right; please tell us so we can fix it.