Taxi safety reforms not tough enough, says driver

A private hire driver who lives and works in Grantham but is registered in Wolverhampton says plans to reform taxi licensing do not go far enough.

The government has launched a consultation on tackling issues such as "out of area working" – when drivers are licensed by one authority, but work in another – amid concerns about the safety of passengers.

Under the proposals, the number of licensing authorities would be reduced from 263 to 70.

But driver Adam Mason said only a single licensing body would ensure an improvement in standards across the industry. He added: "As soon as you've got 70 new licensing departments, you'll have 70 slightly different interpretations of the regulations."

Mason said he decided to get his licence from City of Wolverhampton Council because the process was quicker and easier, as he needed to start working quickly.

Figures showed that in the year to March 2024, up to 96% of licences issued by Wolverhampton – a total of 20,375 – were for drivers living outside the city.

According to the government's consultation, "out of area" licensing means an authority would not generally be able to take action against a driver "where unsafe activity is identified" unless it had issued the licence.

Under that system if a concern is raised about a driver working in Lincolnshire, but who is registered in Wolverhampton, the Lincolnshire authority has to ask Wolverhampton to consider whether to suspend or revoke the licence.

Ragan Crow, the manager at Direct Cars in Lincoln, said too many drivers were working out of area and passengers with a concern were not always sure who to go to.

"They're coming from Wolverhampton, Knowsley, Birmingham, Northampton, everywhere," she said.

"If they do something wrong in our city, there's nothing our council can do about that.

"You don't know who the drivers are. If a licensing officer goes past one of our cars, he knows who he's licensed that car to."

Driver James Redmond said if a passenger wanted to complain about him, "they can either phone Ragan, or they can phone the council".

But he added: "If they wanted to complain about them [an out of area driver], who do they phone?"

Introducing the consultation, local transport minister Lilian Greenwood said the change could help to reduce out of area working and "better match enforcement resources".

While most drivers were "law-abiding and simply seeking efficient entry into the sector", Greenwood said out-of-area working "complicates enforcement and raises concerns about inconsistent licensing standards across local authorities".

She added: "Robust standards in safety must be applied by all licensing authorities."

City of Lincoln Council said: "Private hire operators dispatch drivers and vehicles in accordance with the triple licence rule, which means the operator, vehicle and driver must all be properly licensed by the same licensing authority.

"All private hire vehicles can pursue their trade in pre-booked journeys without geographical restriction.

"As a result, provided the conditions of the triple licence rule are met, licensed drivers can be dispatched across the country while they are outside their licensing area. This is a national regulation set by the UK government."

A City of Wolverhampton Council spokesperson said: "We take our licensing responsibilities very seriously and our officers work proactively across the country, wherever our drivers operate, carrying out regular operations with partners to protect the public and ensure they travel in safety.

"We are aware of the consultation launched by the Department for Transport. The council will of course consider this very carefully and respond to the consultation when we have had time to fully understand the implications."

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