Taxi and minicab licensing to be reformed to crack down on child exploitation
Plans to overhaul taxi and minicab licensing in England have been announced as part of efforts to tackle child exploitation.
Listen to this article
The Department for Transport (DfT) said it is proposing to reduce the number of bodies which can issue licences to the sector’s drivers from 264 to 70.
Switching the power from mainly district and metropolitan councils to local transport authorities would increase the areas covered by each licensing organisation.
A DfT consultation document stated this would reduce out-of-area working, where drivers are licensed in one area but work elsewhere.
Read more: Uber re-writes driver contracts to swerve Rachel Reeves’s ‘taxi tax’
This means drivers would have fewer opportunities to seek out less stringent licensing rules, the department added.
The measure would see Greater Manchester having a single licensing authority, compared with 10 currently.
The proposals form part of the Government’s response to Baroness Louise Casey’s review into child sex abuse by grooming gangs published in June last year.
Among the review’s recommendations were that the DfT should “put a stop to out-of-area taxis” as it is a practice which “can be exploited by individuals and groups intent on sexually exploiting children”.
The DfT’s consultation follows proposals to give the Transport Secretary the power to introduce minimum standards for taxi and minicab licensing across England.
Local transport minister Lilian Greenwood said: “Passenger safety is at the heart of everything we do.
“These proposals, combined with the introduction of national minimum standards, are important next steps to making taxis and private hire vehicles as safe as possible.
“By moving licensing to all Local transport authorities, we’re encouraging greater consistency and stronger enforcement across the country.”
A spokesperson for trade body the Licensed Private Hire Car Association said: “Reducing the number of licensing authorities should enable licensing efficiencies and consistency of standards nationally for taxis and private hire vehicles, which in turn will improve safety for the travelling public.”