Government to press ahead with national minimum standards for taxi and PHV licensing, but to continue considering options on 'out of area' working

The Secretary of State will gain powers to introduce national minimum standards for taxi and private hire licensing, under which all drivers, vehicles and operators would become subject to checks and requirements on safety and accessibility. 

An amendment last month to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment would allow these new powers to be introduced.

Alexander said: “While the vast majority of taxi and private hire vehicle drivers are responsible, passenger safety is our top priority.

“We are, therefore, working quickly and decisively to address the concerns around taxi and private hire vehicle licensing highlighted in Baroness Casey’s report.”

The standards will be subject to consultation and have a primarily focus on passenger safety and accessibility. 

The Secretary of State said the Government would meanwhile continue to consider wider options including on out of area working, and would soon launch a consultation on reducing the number of licensing authorities from 263 to 70.

In July Baroness Casey – in her national audit on group-based child sexual exploitation – recommended amongst other things that the Department for Transport take immediate action to put a stop to ‘out of area taxis’ and bring in more rigorous statutory standards for local authority licensing and regulation of taxi drivers.

She said this “remains an area that can be exploited by individuals and groups intent on sexually exploiting children and more rigorous approaches – and consistency in those approaches across local authorities – is necessary”.

Mark Smulian