How to become a taxi and cab driver or chauffeur

Official title: Taxi and cab drivers and chauffeurs

Also called: Driver, Chauffeur, Cab driver, Pco driver, Taxi owner, Taxi driver, Uber driver, Motor driver, Owner-driver, Hearse driver, Minicab driver, Taxicab driver

Taxi and cab drivers and chauffeurs drive motor cars for private individuals, government departments and industrial and commercial organisations, drive taxis for public hire, drive new cars to delivery points and drive motorcycles and other motor vehicles.

Main tasks

• Checks tyres, brakes, lights, oil, water and fuel levels and general condition of vehicle before start of journey
• Drives passenger-carrying motor cars, taxis and other motor cars and motorcycles, complying with road and traffic regulations
• Collects passengers when hailed or in response to telephone/radio message and helps them to secure their luggage
• Conveys passenger to destination and helps unload luggage
• Cleans, services and maintains vehicle or motorcycle

How to become one

No academic qualifications are required but most entrants require a clean, current driving licence and a medical examination. Local authorities typically set their own tests of local knowledge and additional driving tests before awarding licences.

Pay · Outlook

• Median full-time pay: £26,783 a year
• About 178,000 people work in this job now, and about 177,000 are projected by 2035. (-0.6%)

Related jobs

• Heavy and large goods vehicle drivers
• Bus and coach drivers
• Delivery drivers and couriers
• Driving instructors

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Questions people ask

How do I become a taxi and cab driver or chauffeur?

No academic qualifications are required but most entrants require a clean, current driving licence and a medical examination. Local authorities typically set their own tests of local knowledge and additional driving tests before awarding licences.

How much does a taxi and cab driver or chauffeur earn in the UK?

Median full-time pay is £26,783 a year (Office for National Statistics).

Is a taxi and cab driver or chauffeur a growing career in the UK?

Employment is projected to stay about the same by 2035: about 178,000 people now and 177,000 later (Department for Education).

Do you need a degree to become a taxi and cab driver or chauffeur?

Usually not. Only 22% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Sources

• Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03