Sheffield Council approves new private hire vehicle licensing rules that could push drivers to other cross border authorities
Sheffield City Council has approved new age limits for private hire vehicles, raising concerns among local drivers over fairness and costs.
The Waste and Street Scene Committee voted to increase the maximum age for a first-time private hire vehicle licence to six years. However, all vehicles must meet the Euro 6d-temp emissions standard introduced in September 2019. This decision is aimed at reducing emissions in line with the city’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ) strategy.
However, industry workers have expressed frustration, noting that drivers licensed in nearby areas such as Wolverhampton, Barnsley, and Rotherham can operate in Sheffield with older Euro 6-compliant vehicles. This places Sheffield-licensed drivers at a significant financial disadvantage, as they face higher vehicle costs while competing with drivers from other areas who arguably benefit from lower insurance and licensing fees.
The Council’s report highlighted the importance of maintaining high environmental standards and encouraging the use of cleaner vehicles. It acknowledged that the stricter requirements might impose additional financial burdens on drivers, particularly those from underrepresented groups, but insisted that the move supports the city’s sustainability goals.
The approved changes come after a consultation process that revealed significant opposition from the trade. Many respondents called for any Euro 6-compliant vehicle to be licensable, regardless of age, citing rising costs and competitive pressures. Despite these concerns, the Council maintained that the new standards are necessary for improving air quality and ensuring consistent licensing standards.
Lee Ward, a Sheffield licensed private hire driver, told TaxiPoint: “This means that Sheffield licensed drivers have to spend much more on new vehicles than the drivers licensed by Wolverhampton, Barnsley, Chesterfield, Rotherham and North East Derbyshire to work in their own City of Sheffield.
“All of the above are allowed to license a Euro 6 engine and then work in Sheffield without paying the CAZ charge.
“Their vehicles are cheaper, the insurance is cheaper, their vehicle license is cheaper and their drivers license is cheaper, but they work alongside us serving the Sheffield public.
“On top of all that, Sheffield licensed drivers and vehicles are enforced by SCC licensing services, but SCC licensing services cannot enforce any of the above vehicles or drivers to see if the driver is actually licensed or the vehicle is even roadworthy and insured at that time.
“This decision is unfair and unreasonable to the drivers who have committed to being licensed locally.”
