Rise in taxi licences for drivers from outside city

City of Wolverhampton Council said it did not actively encourage applications from outside of the area but could not turn them down on grounds of location

Up to 96% of taxi driver licences issued in Wolverhampton in the last year were for people living outside the city, figures show.

Between April 2023 and the end of March this year, 813 licences were for drivers based in the city and 20,375 for drivers living elsewhere, the City of Wolverhampton Council said.

Regulations mean local authorities must not withhold issue based on residence, but some areas have raised concern that such practice prohibits their ability to monitor drivers' standards.

A spokesperson for City of Wolverhampton Council said: “While [the council] has never actively encouraged applications from drivers outside the city, existing legislation requires that if an application is submitted and requirements are met, then the application must be granted."

The figures, first reported by Taxi Point and verified by the BBC, have increased from the previous 12-month period, when 19,592 licences were linked to applications outside Wolverhampton and 778 inside the city.

Last year, the council registered about a third of England's taxi drivers, taking on new staff to cope with demand.

Council papers in January 2023 suggested slower processing times and higher fees elsewhere had encouraged many drivers to choose Wolverhampton.

In October, Transport for Greater Manchester called for a change in the law, saying under the present system, councils could "not guarantee a high standard" from out-of-town drivers.

The government, which permitted the system in 2015, has announced tighter checks for drivers.

The majority of the 32,351 taxi licences issued in Wolverhampton during the '23-'24 period were for private hire vehicles - 32,169 in total, with 182 for Hackney Carriages.

A spokesperson for City of Wolverhampton Council said it was illegal for licensing authorities to impose a limit on the number of private hire licences issued, and the city council, they added, offered an efficient online application process.

Drivers, they said, must attend in person for training and strict assessment before an application can be processed and they were expected to "always maintain the highest standards".

The spokesperson explained: “This is irrespective of the administrative boundary within which they are operating at any particular time.

"City of Wolverhampton Council takes its enforcement responsibilities seriously and our officers are out... every Friday and Saturday night, working to protect the public.”