Taxi drivers facing tougher new rules amid Wolverhampton licencing row
Taxi drivers could be stopped from working outside the areas in which they have been licensed under tough new rules.
It comes after Wolverhampton Council was accused of handing out licences like ‘sweets’ with drivers licensed in the city seen working as far afield as Weymouth.
Birmingham taxi drivers have also claimed they are under pressure by out-of-area drivers flooding the city while council licensing officers have safeguarding concerns because they have no enforcement powers over them.
That could now change under new rules proposed by a Government task group.
Drivers could be restricted to working in the area they are licensed – although they would be entitled to apply for more than one council licence.
And the report also suggests that councils should set a cap on the number of taxis they license, and also make sure that all taxi journeys start and finish in the area they are licensed to.
If approved, the new rules would mean councils could take enforcement action against any private hire driver in their area regardless of where they have been licensed.
Vice chairman of The West Midlands Private Hire Drivers’ Association (WMPHDA) Imran Shasiq said: “We would welcome other councils being able to enforce other drivers, as currently they’re not allowed to do that.
"I think that would help the situation in Wolverhampton a lot if licensing officers could clamp down on taxi drivers not being licensed with them.”
Wolverhampton Council has said its own vetting system is a lot stricter than in many other places.
