Council to inspect Wolverhampton-licensed taxis

There are more than 300 private hire vehicles operating in the Telford area with Wolverhampton licenses.

A local authority has been given permission to carry out inspections on taxis and private hire vehicles to see if they are safe.

Telford and Wrekin Council will be able to stop and inspect hundreds of vehicles, which were licensed in Wolverhampton but operating in Telford, to see if they are unsafe or potentially dangerous.

A report will then be sent to City of Wolverhampton Council.

The number of taxi licenses issued in Wolverhampton has led to several local authorities voicing concerns over safety risks for passengers and unfairness to locally-licensed drivers.

A report to Telford and Wrekin Council said there were 343 private hire vehicle drivers with a Telford address licensed by Wolverhampton City Council.

That compares to 405 private hire drivers from Telford licensed by Telford and Wrekin Council.

Of the 512 minicab and Hackney carriage drivers in Telford, 237 are registered with a Wolverhampton address.

Telford is considering offering City of Wolverhampton Council the same power to inspect vehicles it has registered.

Figures show in the first five months of last year, Wolverhampton issued 8,563 licences - more than 30 times higher than other councils in the Midlands.

Up to 96% of taxi driver licences issued in Wolverhampton between April 2023 and the end of March 2024 were for people living outside the city.