Safety concerns raised over out-of-town drivers

The law permits private hire drivers to apply for licenses in one local authority area and work anywhere they want around the country

Safety concerns have been raised about a rise in the number of out-of-town private hire taxi drivers operating in one region.

The law permits private hire drivers to apply for licenses in one local authority area and work anywhere they want around the country.

Although this is a longstanding issue, in Knowsley, Merseyside, the borough council said it was now exacerbated by an increase in licensing applications which meant more drivers work "cross-border".

The council's head of safety, resilience and community protection, Brian Toolan said this hampered the ability of councils to provide the appropriate level of enforcement oversight.

'Situation not ideal'

Mr Toolan said a lack of enforcement oversight for licensed private hire drivers around the country was not unique to Knowsley, and prevented local authorities from monitoring the safety and service of these drivers “if they do something wrong”.

The council is unable to refuse an application for a private hire driver’s licence based on an applicant’s address being outside of the borough or city region.

As long as the private hire driver’s licence is issued by the same council that issued the private hire vehicle and operator licence, it doesn’t matter where they live or work.

'Engaging with councils'

Knowsley Council attempted to introduce a policy to control or limit applications for licences from drivers living or working outside of the borough in 2018 but this approach was deemed unlawful in the High Court and cross-border working being legal.

“We hope that the new government will address this issue by introducing new legislation and giving councils powers to regulate the taxi and private hire industry appropriately for the 21st century," Mr Powell added.

An Uber spokesperson said: "Uber operates according to the high standards set across the industry and abides by the same regulations as all other private hire operators.

"We engage closely with councils across the country and are happy to discuss any issues with them."