CROSS BORDER: Greater Manchester sees 11,000 plus Wolverhampton-licensed drivers living in the area

Image credit: DALL.E (AI generated)

Greater Manchester is home to over 11,000 private hire drivers licensed by Wolverhampton Council, with 1,749 of these based in Bolton, according to recent data from the City of Wolverhampton Council.

The figures revealed in a recent Freedom of Information request this summer, detailed 11,266 drivers with Wolverhampton badges living in the northern region and taking a significant share of the private hire market area.

Under cross-border hire rules, drivers are allowed to operate outside the council area where they are licensed. This has led to a rise in drivers from cities like Wolverhampton working across the UK, particularly in places like Greater Manchester. Wolverhampton’s efficient licensing system has made it an attractive choice for drivers who can then legally work elsewhere.

The law permits drivers to be licensed by one local authority but operate in another. This flexibility allows drivers to work in areas with higher demand or where they feel there are more opportunities, raising concerns among some local operators and councils about the ability to regulate out-of-area drivers effectively.

In contrast to the high number of Wolverhampton-licensed private hire drivers, the data shows only one driver in Greater Manchester holding a dual licence to drive both hackney carriages and private hire vehicles. Meanwhile, no hackney carriage drivers were reported to be licensed by Wolverhampton and based in Bolton.