IN THE NEWS
TAXI LICENSING STRENGTHENED IN ORDER TO PROTECT PASSENGERS IN ENGLAND
The government recognises the important role that taxis and PHVs play in the wider transport network. The Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Safeguarding and Road Safety) Act 2022 applies in England and requires better information- sharing between taxi and PHV licensing authorities to ensure that unfit drivers cannot hide previous instances of misconduct. The first part of the act came into force on 31 May 2022 requiring licensing authorities to
report
safeguarding and road safety concerns about drivers licensed by other authorities to the licensing authority that issued the driver’s licence. Licensing authorities that receive concerns about a driver it has licensed must then consider
whether to suspend or revoke the driver’s licence. On 27 April the Government announced that it has brought the remainder of the Act into force which means it is now mandatory for all licensing authorities in England to use the National Register for Revocations, Refusals and Suspensions (NR3S). There- fore, all licensing authorities in England must: • Record refusals, suspensions and revocations of taxi and PHV driver licences relating to safeguarding or road safety reasons.
• Search the NR3S database for every application for a new or renewed taxi and PHV driving licence and have regard to any information found.
This is in addition to the
requirements that came into effect in May 2022 which require licensing authorities in England to: • Report serious safeguarding and road safety concerns about licensed drivers operating in their area
but licensed by
another authority to the relevant licensing authority.
• Consider suspending or revoking a driver’s licence if another GB licensing authority reports a serious safeguarding or road safety concern and inform the reporting authority of its decision. The full announcement is available on
GOV.UK and statutory guidance to assist licensing authorities in complying with the new law is also available on
GOV.UK.
26
JUNE 2023 PHTM
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