Minister details work done so far to uniform taxi industry standards and bring better consistency
The Transport Minister assured MPs that the Department for Transport (DfT) has recently taken steps to bring uniformity to taxi licensing regulations across England.
The comments come in response to questions raised by Amanda Hack, Labour MP for North West Leicestershire, regarding the consistency of taxi licensing regimes among local authorities.
In a written response on 23 October 2024, Transport Minister, Simon Lightwood, outlined the department’s efforts to guide local authorities in the sector’s regulation. He confirmed that the DfT has issued updated best practice guidance aimed at ensuring licensing standards align nationwide.
The Minister outlined that the key focus of the DfT’s guidance is public safety, particularly safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. Statutory guidance, first issued in 2020, lays out recommendations that licensing authorities must follow to protect passengers using taxi and private hire services. These guidelines have since been revised to further support authorities in regulating the industry effectively, ensuring services remain safe, accessible, and affordable.
Local authorities will continue to be responsible for their individual licensing decisions, but the Government’s emphasis on consistency is likely to shape future policy.
Lightwood said: “The Department for Transport (DfT) issues guidance to licensing authorities in England to help them regulate the sector. One of the aims of the guidance is to improve consistency in the licensing standards required by licensing authorities.
“Statutory guidance was issued in 2020 on measures that should be taken to protect children and vulnerable adults, and by extension all passengers, when using these services.
“Last year the Department issued updated best practice guidance which made recommendations to promote regulation that enables the provision of safe, accessible, available, and affordable services that meet the wide range of passenger needs by a thriving sector.”
