Private hire operator licence numbers have risen sharply across England as more businesses seek a position in the expanding PHV market. New figures from the Department for Transport (DfT) show that 19,000 licensed PHV operators were recorded as of 1 April 2026. This was an increase of 2,700, or 17%, compared with the 16,300 licences recorded in 2024. The rise broadly follows the growth in licensed private hire vehicles. England’s PHV fleet increased by 13% over the same perio

English licensing authorities made 12,200 entries on the National Register of Refusals, Revocations and Suspensions during the year ending 31 March 2026, according to Department for Transport data. The entries concern drivers whose taxi or private hire licences were refused, revoked or suspended. The register allows another council to identify that previous action if the same person later applies for a licence in its area. NR3S is maintained by the National Anti-Fraud Network

Image credit: LEVC Seven licensing authorities in England had no wheelchair-accessible taxis or private hire vehicles licensed as of 1 April 2026, according to the latest Department for Transport figures. The finding means none of the vehicles licensed by those authorities was recorded as capable of carrying a passenger seated in a wheelchair. Those authorities included Derbyshire Dales, North East Derbyshire, Rutland, Blaby, Epping Forest, Elmbridge and West Devon licensed w