ALL THINGS LICENSING
assaults in vehicles, all of which taxi and PHV drivers deal with, but autonomous vehicles won’t be able to without a driver present!
It’s important these risks are thoroughly considered.
If a council refuses to consent, no automated service could operate inside its legal boundaries, whether at the beginning, course or end of a journey.
Consequently, there needs to be comprehensive guidance (and training) on how councils provide consent as I can see a number of councils and Councillors being potentially very concerned about this and it is imperative that any decisions are taken for correct and robust reasons.
Furthermore, if a local authority is also going to be expected to play a part in the process, they need to be resourced to do so, as there will likely be many local considerations, such as pick up/drop off locations which need to be identified and mandated.
In line with the recent reports on exploitation, the Government needs to give proper consideration to the safeguarding implications of this new regime in discussion with relevant bodies.
Obviously an automated vehicle removes the risk of the driver playing a role in an offence, but there is a risk that those involved in child sexual exploitation and other offences could order a self driving vehicle to pick up a victim and it would not be clear from the records who had travelled in the vehicle.
In addition, there are other things such as lost property, witness appeals, problematic addresses, vulnerable and disabled customers, customers fighting or being subject to domestic violence, or
The consultation is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/auto mated-passenger-services-permitting-scheme
To conclude
It will be really interesting to see what, if anything – considering the Law Commission report from 2014 has not been responded to and the majority of the 2018 Task and Finish Group recommendations were never progressed – happens.
However it is clear from the recent Casey Report on Grooming Gangs that the current status quo and outdated legislation should no longer be accepted. How many more Casey reports do there need to be in order to ensure that local authorities and the licensed trade get a system of regulation which is fit for purpose so that the public can receive the right protections.
I do hope that everyone takes the opportunity to respond to these important consultations, as well as being able to take some time off for the summer!
Finally, hopefully, someone may be listening and it is therefore essential that you don’t miss out on hearing about and understanding what may be going on. There have never been a better time to join the Institute of Licensing.
For full details please visit:
www.instituteoflicensing.org
PHTM AUGUST 2025
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