Third of Greater Manchester taxi drivers registered in Wolverhampton - FOI

Private hire drivers can operate anywhere in England and Wales outside of London under current legislation

More than a third of private hire taxi drivers in a region are licensed by a council about 80 miles away, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.

Data showed almost 9,000 drivers registered with Wolverhampton Council reside in Greater Manchester.

Transport for Greater Manchester has called for a change in the law as local councils "can not guarantee a high standard" from out of town drivers.

The government said it recently brought in tighter checks for drivers.

Current legislation means private hire drivers can operate anywhere in England and Wales outside of London.

There are just over 36,000 private hire drivers with a Wolverhampton plate, about 13% of the city's population of about 262,000, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

'Rigorous process'

By comparison, 16,300 private hires have a Greater Manchester licence plate.

In January, it emerged almost a third of England's private hire taxi drivers were registered in Wolverhampton and the local authority had to take on 20 new staff to cope with demand.

Mayor Andy Burnham previously criticised authorities for licensing drivers who worked elsewhere.

Mr Burnham told BBC Radio Manchester in August: "How are they not checking up on those taxis and those drivers, but they're taking in the money for it.

"They shouldn't be doing it because they're giving plates without being able to then monitor the performance."

Mr Burnham claimed the main difference in standards related to the age of vehicles allowed, with Greater Manchester councils requiring newer vehicles to be used on the roads as well as more advanced background checks.

However, Wolverhampton Council denied it was "quicker and easier" to get a private hire licence with the authority.

It said applicants go through a "strict and rigorous" process including a day training course, enhanced disclosure and barring service checks, a medical certification and a face-to-face English assessment.

Manchester City Council charges £255 to register as a new private hire driver and between £222 and £342 to register a vehicle depending on its age.

The application fee under Wolverhampton Council is £49 for a one-year licence and £95 to register a vehicle under 10 years old.

A Transport for Greater Manchester representative said: "The existing system means local councils can't guarantee a high standard from 'out of area' drivers and their vehicles.

"A change in the law is required to make sure anyone who drives or operates a taxi or private hire vehicle in Greater Manchester meets high safety standards and is licensed in our area."

A Department for Transport representative said: "The safety of passengers is paramount, which is why we recently brought in tighter checks for drivers, and continue to engage with local authorities to address issues.

"The new law prevents unfit taxi and private hire vehicle drivers from reapplying for a licence in other areas by alerting the national database to concerns about their prior behaviour."

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