ALL THINGS LICENSING Conclusion
The EDCE Bill marks a decisive step toward reforming a system widely acknowledged as inconsistent, open to exploitation, and difficult to enforce.
National minimum standards represent a major milestone, but many leaders and industry voices argue that only a full reassessment of out-of-area licensing will provide the public confidence and fair operating environment the sector needs.
As the Bill progresses, whichever amendments are carried forward or not, both local authorities and the licensed trade should prepare for a more standardised, safety focused, and potentially more locally controlled licensing landscape.
Finally, the start of 2026 has also seen the Government unveil its new Road Safety Strategy. This is the first new strategy in over a decade and sets out sweeping reforms designed to dramatically cut the number of people killed or seriously injured on Britain’s roads. The Government is aiming for a 65% reduction in fatalities and serious injuries by 2035, with an even more ambitious 70% reduction for children under 16.
This long-awaited overhaul responds to a decade of stalled progress in UK road safety. Despite historically ranking among Europe’s safest nations, Britain has recently fallen behind, with 22 European countries making greater improvements in reducing road deaths over the past decade.
For the taxi and private hire sector, an industry whose livelihood depends on safe, predictable, and well- regulated roads, the strategy brings both opportunities and challenges.
A systemic approach to road safety
The Government’s strategy is built around four core themes:
1. Supporting road users: improving education, training, and targeted interventions.
2. Technology, innovation and data: mandating new vehicle safety technologies and improving post- collision care.
3. Safe infrastructure: upgrading road design and road markings; ensuring consistency across the network.
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4. Robust enforcement: tougher action on speeding, drink/drug driving, illegal plates, and uninsured vehicles.
This “safe system” approach, already used successfully in other countries, positions road safety as a shared responsibility; not only for drivers, but for vehicle manufacturers, planners, enforcement bodies, including licensing authorities, and government itself.
Major reforms of note for the licensed trade
1. Tougher drink driving measures
The Government will consult on lowering the drink drive limit, currently the highest in Europe. Preventative technologies such as alcolock devices, which prevent a vehicle starting if alcohol is detected, are also under consideration.
For the licensed trade, this ensures safer roads for professional drivers, particularly those working late nights and weekends. It may reduce the number of intoxicated private motorists, potentially increasing demand for taxi services.
2. Minimum learning period for new drivers
A proposed three- or six-month mandatory learning period aims to ensure new drivers gain experience in varied conditions such as night driving, bad weather or heavy traffic before taking their test.
This may mean that new taxi/PHV driver applicants may arrive with stronger foundational driving skills, as currently the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 requires applicants to hold a driving licence for a minimum period of a year. This will hopefully also mean safer roads overall as inexperienced drivers develop resilience before qualifying.
3. Mandatory eye tests for drivers over 70
With an ageing population, the Government will consult on mandatory eye tests (and potential cognitive tests) for drivers over 70.
This will hopefully support safer interactions between professional drivers and older road users. In addition, for any licensing authorities which have not adopted the DVLA Group 2 standards for drivers, which require drivers to have an annual medical from the age of 65 years, this may prompt them to update medical fitness guidelines for professional licence holders.
FEBRUARY 2026 PHTM
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