Taxi Knowledge Test
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Manchester byelaws: questions and answers

37 practice questions for the Manchester City Council taxi and private hire knowledge test, with answers and explanations at the end.

Free from taxiknowledgetest.co.uk. Not an official council document: check your council's current guidance.

Questions

Definitions, plates and the taximeter

  1. In Manchester's hackney carriage byelaws, what does "the district" mean?

    • A. The whole of Greater Manchester
    • B. The City of Manchester
    • C. The city centre inside the ring road
    • D. The area within 4 miles of the Town Hall

  2. The compellable area covers the city and land up to how far beyond the city boundary?

    • A. 2 miles, inside Greater Manchester
    • B. 6 miles, inside Greater Manchester
    • C. 10 miles, inside Greater Manchester
    • D. 4 miles, inside Greater Manchester

  3. Where must the proprietor show the hackney carriage licence number?

    • A. On the driver's badge, which must be worn
    • B. On the rear number plate, next to the registration
    • C. Inside and outside the vehicle, or on plates
    • D. On a licence paper kept in the glovebox

  4. Your licence plate is so damaged that one figure cannot be read. What does the byelaw say?

    • A. Do not stand or ply for hire until it is fixed
    • B. Keep working, and report it to the Council within a week
    • C. Work only on jobs booked by phone
    • D. Keep working if your badge shows the number

  5. Which word must be printed on the face of the taximeter, next to the fare?

    • A. FARE
    • B. TOTAL
    • C. PRICE
    • D. TARIFF

  6. When you are standing or plying for hire and not hired, how should the taximeter be set?

    • A. Locked so that no fare is shown
    • B. Running, so people can see the rate
    • C. Showing the word HIRED
    • D. Switched off at the battery

  7. On a journey charged by distance and time, when must you start the taximeter?

    • A. After the first mile
    • B. When the passenger asks you to
    • C. At the end, to work out the fare
    • D. Before the journey begins

  8. During a hiring, when must the taximeter dial be lit?

    • A. From half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise
    • B. Only when the passenger asks for it to be lit
    • C. Only while the vehicle is waiting on a rank
    • D. Only at the end, when the fare is being paid

  9. A friend offers to change your taximeter so it runs a little faster. What does the byelaw say?

    • A. It is allowed if fares stay under the tariff
    • B. It is allowed if a qualified mechanic does it
    • C. No one may tamper with the meter or its seals
    • D. It is allowed if you tell the Council in 7 days

Stands, conduct and passengers

  1. You are plying for hire in the street and are not hired. What does the byelaw say you should do?

    • A. Drive slowly round the centre looking for fares
    • B. Wait in any side street until someone waves
    • C. Go at a reasonable speed to a Council stand
    • D. Wait outside a busy bar until it closes

  2. You arrive at a taxi stand and it is already full. What should you do?

    • A. Go to another stand
    • B. Wait next to the stand with hazard lights on
    • C. Double-park behind the last taxi
    • D. Wait in a nearby bus stop

  3. You arrive at a stand that has space. Where do you park?

    • A. At the front, ahead of the other taxis
    • B. Anywhere on the stand that is free
    • C. Facing the other way so you can see the passengers
    • D. Right behind the last taxi, facing the same way

  4. Can you ask a friend to call out to people in the street to hire your taxi?

    • A. Yes, as long as they stay on the pavement
    • B. No, you must not use anyone to tout
    • C. Yes, but only near the taxi stand
    • D. Yes, as long as they wear a high-vis vest

  5. Which of these is a duty under byelaw 9?

    • A. Carry a first aid kit and a fire blanket at all times
    • B. Wear a Council uniform with your name
    • C. Take care passengers get in and out safely
    • D. Offer every passenger a bottle of water

  6. A hackney carriage driver gets a fixed penalty notice that will go on their licence. Under the byelaws, how must they tell the Council?

    • A. By phone, within 7 days
    • B. In writing, within 14 calendar days
    • C. At the next licence renewal
    • D. In writing, within 3 working days

  7. You agreed to collect a passenger at 7am. What does byelaw 11 say?

    • A. Arrive within an hour of the time agreed
    • B. Be there on time unless a good reason stops you
    • C. Go only if no street hire has come along before then
    • D. Phone first to check they still need you

  8. How many passengers may you carry in a hackney carriage?

    • A. As many as can fit in safely
    • B. Any number if they are one family
    • C. No more than the number on the outside plate
    • D. One extra person if the extra person is a small child

  9. When must a hackney carriage driver wear the Council badge?

    • A. Only when waiting on a taxi stand
    • B. Only when a passenger asks to see it
    • C. When standing or plying for hire, and when hired
    • D. Only when driving after dark

  10. A passenger at Piccadilly station has two heavy suitcases. What does the byelaw say?

    • A. Help only if the passenger is disabled or elderly
    • B. Give reasonable help loading and unloading them
    • C. Ask them to load the cases themselves
    • D. You never have to help with luggage

Fares, lost property and penalties

  1. Under the byelaws, how is a hackney carriage fare normally worked out?

    • A. By distance only
    • B. By a mix of distance and time
    • C. By time only
    • D. By a price agreed at the end of the trip

  2. Can you charge more than the taximeter shows?

    • A. Yes, if the traffic was very heavy
    • B. Yes, if the passenger agrees at the end
    • C. Yes, if the journey was late at night
    • D. Only for Council extras the meter cannot show

  3. Where must the table of fares be shown?

    • A. Inside the vehicle, in clear letters
    • B. On the roof sign, above the windscreen
    • C. On the driver's door, on the outside
    • D. Only at the Council's licensing office in town

  4. When must you search your hackney carriage for lost property?

    • A. Once a day, at the end of your shift
    • B. Only when a passenger reports a loss
    • C. Once a week, when you clean the whole vehicle
    • D. After every hiring, or as soon as you can

  5. You find a phone left in your taxi and the owner does not claim it. By when must you take it to the Council?

    • A. Within 24 hours
    • B. Within 48 hours
    • C. Within 7 days
    • D. Within 28 days

  6. Who do you leave unclaimed lost property with?

    • A. Any shop near the taxi stand
    • B. Another driver on the taxi stand
    • C. A Council officer, who gives you a receipt
    • D. Nobody. Keep it at home until the owner calls

  7. The owner collects lost property you handed in. What is the most you can receive from them under the byelaws?

    • A. £5
    • B. £2
    • C. £10
    • D. £20

  8. What is the most a court can fine someone for breaking a Manchester hackney carriage byelaw?

    • A. Level 5 on the standard scale
    • B. £5 for each offence
    • C. Three penalty points
    • D. Level 2 on the standard scale

Private hire driver conditions

  1. You move house. Under the private hire driver conditions, when must you tell the Council?

    • A. In writing, within 7 days
    • B. In writing, within 28 days
    • C. By phone, within 14 days
    • D. At your next renewal

  2. A private hire driver is arrested. When must they tell the Council?

    • A. Only if they are later charged
    • B. Immediately, and in any case within 24 hours
    • C. Within 7 days, by letter
    • D. Only if they are convicted in court

  3. Your doctor gives you a new diagnosis that could affect your Group 2 driving entitlement. When must you email the Council?

    • A. Within 7 days
    • B. At your next medical
    • C. Immediately, or within 48 hours
    • D. Only if the DVLA writes and asks you to

  4. When may you use the horn on a private hire vehicle?

    • A. To let a passenger know you have arrived
    • B. When you have waited over 5 minutes
    • C. Once, outside the pick-up address
    • D. Only in an emergency

  5. Under the private hire conditions, does a baby count as a passenger?

    • A. No, babies under one year of age do not count
    • B. Only if the baby has its own seat
    • C. Yes, every child, including a baby, counts
    • D. Only on journeys over 10 miles

  6. A child travelling alone is booked into your car. Where must they not sit?

    • A. In the front seat
    • B. In the back seat behind you
    • C. In the back seat on the left
    • D. In the middle of the back seat

  7. You find a bag left in your private hire car and cannot return it to the owner. What must you do?

    • A. Take it to the Council within 48 hours
    • B. Keep it at home for 28 days
    • C. Leave it at the nearest police station desk
    • D. Give it to the operator within 24 hours

  8. You are involved in an accident while driving your licensed car. When must you report it to Licensing?

    • A. Within 24 hours
    • B. Within 72 hours
    • C. Within 7 days
    • D. Within 14 days

  9. When must the daily vehicle check log be completed?

    • A. At the end of each week
    • B. At the start of each shift
    • C. Once a month, before the MOT
    • D. Only after the vehicle is repaired

  10. You have no booking. Can you wait at the back of a hackney carriage rank?

    • A. No, it may count as plying for hire
    • B. Yes, if you stay in the car
    • C. Yes, after midnight only
    • D. Yes, if the hackney rank is empty at the time

Answers

  1. B. The City of Manchester. Byelaw 1 says "the district" means the City of Manchester.
  2. D. 4 miles, inside Greater Manchester. Byelaw 2 defines the compellable area as the city, or up to 4 miles from the nearest point of the city boundary and inside Greater Manchester.
  3. C. Inside and outside the vehicle, or on plates. Byelaw 3(a) says the number must be clearly painted or marked inside and outside the carriage, or on plates fixed to it.
  4. A. Do not stand or ply for hire until it is fixed. Byelaw 3(b) says you must not stand or ply for hire if any figure on the plate or marking cannot be read.
  5. A. FARE. Byelaw 4(d) says the word "FARE" must be printed on the face of the taximeter in plain letters.
  6. A. Locked so that no fare is shown. Byelaw 5(a) says that when standing or plying for hire, the key or flag must be locked in the position where no fare is recorded.
  7. D. Before the journey begins. Byelaw 5(b) says you must bring the taximeter into action before the journey begins and keep it running until the hiring ends.
  8. A. From half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise. Byelaw 5(c) says the dial must be lit between half an hour after sunset and half an hour before sunrise, and at any other time if the hirer asks.
  9. C. No one may tamper with the meter or its seals. Byelaw 6 says a proprietor or driver must not tamper with the taximeter or its seals, or let anyone else do so.
  10. C. Go at a reasonable speed to a Council stand. Byelaw 7(a) says a driver plying for hire and not hired must go with reasonable speed to one of the stands appointed by the Council.
  11. A. Go to another stand. Byelaw 7(b) says that if a stand is full, you must go on to another stand.
  12. D. Right behind the last taxi, facing the same way. Byelaw 7(c) says you must park immediately behind the carriages already on the stand, facing the same direction, and move forward as the others leave.
  13. B. No, you must not use anyone to tout. Byelaw 8 says a proprietor or driver must not use any other person to importune (tout or persuade) people to hire the carriage.
  14. C. Take care passengers get in and out safely. Byelaw 9 says the driver must be clean and respectable in dress, behave in a civil and orderly way and take reasonable care for the safety of passengers getting in and out.
  15. D. In writing, within 3 working days. Byelaw 10 says the driver must tell the Council in writing within three working days of any conviction, endorsable fixed penalty or simple caution.
  16. B. Be there on time unless a good reason stops you. Byelaw 11 says a driver who has agreed to attend at a set time and place must be there on time, unless delayed or prevented by some sufficient cause.
  17. C. No more than the number on the outside plate. Byelaw 12 says you must not carry more people than the number shown on the plate fixed to the outside of the carriage.
  18. C. When standing or plying for hire, and when hired. Byelaw 13 says the driver must wear the badge so it is plainly visible when standing or plying for hire and when hired.
  19. B. Give reasonable help loading and unloading them. Byelaw 14 says the driver must carry a reasonable amount of luggage and give reasonable help loading, unloading and taking it to or from the entrance of the building or station.
  20. B. By a mix of distance and time. Byelaw 16(i) says the fare is worked out by a combination of distance and time, unless the hirer asks at the start to hire by time.
  21. D. Only for Council extras the meter cannot show. Byelaw 16(ii) says you must not charge more than the taximeter shows, except extra charges the Council allows that cannot be shown on the meter.
  22. A. Inside the vehicle, in clear letters. Byelaw 17 says the proprietor must show the Council's fares inside the carriage, and no one may hide or spoil it while the carriage is in use.
  23. D. After every hiring, or as soon as you can. Byelaw 18 says you must carefully search the carriage immediately after every hiring, or as soon as practicable.
  24. B. Within 48 hours. Byelaw 19(a) says you must take it as soon as possible, and in any case within 48 hours, to the Council's customer service centre or another building the Council names.
  25. C. A Council officer, who gives you a receipt. Byelaw 19(a) says you leave it in the custody of a Council officer, who gives you a receipt.
  26. A. £5. Byelaw 19(b) says you may receive 5p in the pound of its value, or the fare from where it was found to the Council, whichever is more, but not more than £5.
  27. D. Level 2 on the standard scale. Byelaw 20 sets a fine of up to level 2 on the standard scale, plus up to £2 a day if the offence continues after conviction.
  28. A. In writing, within 7 days. Condition 1.1 says you must tell the Council in writing within 7 days of any change of address or contact details.
  29. B. Immediately, and in any case within 24 hours. Condition 2.1 says you must tell the Council in writing immediately, or within 24 hours, of an arrest, charge, caution, conviction and other listed matters.
  30. C. Immediately, or within 48 hours. Condition 3.1 says you must email the Council immediately, or in any case within 48 hours, of the diagnosis or change.
  31. D. Only in an emergency. Condition 5.5 says you must not use the horn to get a customer's attention. It is only for emergencies.
  32. C. Yes, every child, including a baby, counts. The definitions say all children, including babies, count as passengers. Condition 5.17 says you must not carry more passengers than the vehicle licence allows.
  33. A. In the front seat. Condition 5.17 says you must not let an unaccompanied child sit in the front seat.
  34. D. Give it to the operator within 24 hours. Condition 9.2 says if you cannot return it, report it to the operator the passenger booked through and hand it over as soon as practical and within 24 hours.
  35. B. Within 72 hours. Condition 5.20 says you must report any accident in a licensed vehicle you are driving to the Licensing Department within 72 hours.
  36. B. At the start of each shift. Condition 5.21 says the daily check log (lights, tyres, wipers, plates, horn and more) must be completed at the start of each shift and kept in the vehicle.
  37. A. No, it may count as plying for hire. Condition 8.2 says you must not wait without a booking at the front or back of hackney ranks, outside busy venues or in lines that look like a rank.

Sources

  • Manchester City Council Byelaws for Hackney Carriages, Manchester City Council, The document is undated (scanned PDF, file created 20 June 2016; it repeals the 1956 byelaws). 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 was archived, so we could not check for changes since.. Checked 29 October 2026. https://www.manchester.gov.uk/downloads/download/6483/
  • 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. https://www.manchester.gov.uk/__data/assets/file/0022/123259/new_private_hire_conditions_for_licences_issued_from_29112021.pdf
  • Stage 3: skills and knowledge test, Manchester City Council, Undated web page. Archived copy of 19 April 2026 (live page blocked automated access). Used for the byelaws pass mark of 8.. Checked 29 October 2026. 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