Taxi licensing toughened up to protect passengers across England

New measures will safeguard passengers and crack down on unfit taxi and private hire vehicle drivers, with tighter checks introduced across Local Authorities.

Building on existing legislation, councils in England will now be mandated to use a national database to record instances where taxi and private hire vehicle drivers have their licences removed for misconduct. This new law will prevent them from simply reapplying for a licence in other areas by alerting the system to concerns about their prior behaviour. 

This will ensure passengers can use taxis and private hire vehicles with greater confidence that these modes of transport are safe, helping to strengthen communities and restore pride in towns and high streets across the country.

While the vast majority of taxi and private hire trips are safe and efficient, there have been a small number of reports linking a minority of drivers to incidents of sexual harassment, abuse, and poor driving. 

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said:  

“The safety of passengers, especially women and girls, is paramount. That’s why I’m bringing in tough new measures to ensure that when you catch a cab, you can be confident your driver will take you from A to B safely and without incident.  
 
“While the vast majority of drivers are hardworking and honest, we’re taking steps to remove the few who abuse their position and pose a risk to passengers.”  

The step will bring into full force the Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Safety and Road Safety) Act 2022 and is being backed by the family of Sian O’Callaghan, who was tragically murdered by a private hire vehicle driver in Swindon in 2011, aged 22. Her family have since been campaigning for tougher measures to protect passengers.