Greater Manchester Mayor urges action on 9,000 Wolverhampton licensed PHV drivers working in region

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham expressed his concerns over the growing number of Wolverhampton private hire vehicle (PHV) drivers operating in Greater Manchester.

Burnham highlighted the potential public safety risks posed by these drivers and called for stricter licensing regulations.

Speaking on BBC Radio Manchester, Burnham stated that one of the reasons drivers choose Wolverhampton is due to the lower cost of licensing taxis and less stringent checks conducted by the council. He claimed that these practices undermined public safety in Greater Manchester and urged the government and the council in Wolverhampton to change their approach.

Data obtained through a Freedom of Information request revealed a significant number of Wolverhampton private hire drivers operating in Manchester. Shockingly, more than one-third of private hire taxi drivers in a particular area are licensed by the Wolverhampton Council, despite residing in Greater Manchester.

According to Manchester Evening News, the data showed that nearly 9,000 drivers registered with Wolverhampton Council are actually residents of Greater Manchester.

Mayor Burnham appealed to all Greater Manchester residents to only use operators registered in one of the ten boroughs within Greater Manchester.

Burnham said: "I think the reason people go there [Wolverhampton] is because they don't charge as much to license taxis.

"The checks they do aren't as stringent and it is not right. They are undermining public safety in Greater Manchester."

Burnham added: "If we can't resolve this by a requirement that if you are working in a place you've got to be licensed there, then I would be very disappointed - but we'd have to go down a different route.

"I appeal to the government and to the council in Wolverhampton to change what they are doing as it does not build public safety.

"I would say to any Greater Manchester resident, only use taxi firms that are registered in one of our 10 boroughs."