A laptop and telephone can make a private hire business look location-free, however licensing and planning law still care where the bookings are accepted. The operator’s licence regulates the private hire operation, but it does not automatically grant planning permission or require a home insurer to accept business use. In England, planning permission is not normally required where home working remains incidental to the property’s main use as a dwelling. The dividing line is

The Government has issued fresh guidance encouraging councils in England to reduce reliance on single-occupancy vehicles for school transport, potentially affecting taxi and private hire businesses providing contracted journeys for children with special educational needs and disabilities. The Department for Education published the updated guidance on Friday 30 October, setting out how local authorities should work with schools, families and transport teams to deliver suitable

Local enforcement officers will be able to suspend any taxi or private hire vehicle licence being used in their area if immediate safety concerns arise, Transport Minister Simon Lightwood told MPs. The commitment came in response to Labour MP Lewis Atkinson, who asked whether the Government’s planned taxi and private hire vehicle Bill would give councils such as Sunderland the powers and resources to regulate vehicles operating locally, regardless of where they were licensed.