SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT


addition to the legislation, there is government guidance such as the ‘Statutory taxi and private hire vehicle standards’ and ‘Taxi and private hire vehicle licensing best practice guidance for licensing authorities in England’. It should be noted that Wolverhampton was the first local authority to implement both of these standards.


The issue lies in the standards not being uniform. This creates significant variation across authorities, and licensees are penalised for some behaviours where they are permitted to do this a couple of miles away.


Examples of requirements from other councils on entrants to the trade include:


l prohibiting applications from people who have had a driving licence for less than three years, when the legal requirement is 12 months. This potentially discriminates against 18- and 19-year- olds.


l requiring a geographic knowledge test for private hire drivers, when all journeys are pre-booked and therefore can be planned in advance, as well as benefit from GPS satellite navigation which is widespread and reliable.


l requiring drivers to undergo an additional driving test, when they already hold a Category B licence.


l requiring drivers to carry a fire extinguisher in the vehicle when they have not been trained to use it.


l requiring drivers to carry a first aid kit in vehicles when they have not been trained to use it.


The most common reason that people cite for applying to Wolverhampton council is that their local council has a restriction on the age of a new vehicle, in some areas the restriction is four years old. The cost of a four-year-old vehicle is a hurdle so high that for many would-be drivers they are unable to join the local trade. This is contrary to the Government’s Best Practice Guidance and Wolverhampton has no age limits for vehicles with emissions of under 75g CO2/km.


PHTM NOVEMBER 2024


Regarding CCTV; mandatory CCTV was considered by the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Regulatory Committee. The systems cost around £500 but can be turned off by the driver, so it was not approved due to the fact that it wasn’t a proportionate solution. CCTV may be voluntarily installed.


The above are just a handful of examples of policies in place at other licensing authorities, most of which are expressly advised against by the Department of Transport.


When City of Wolverhampton Council complies with this guidance, the discrepancy is misinterpreted as undermining other licensing authorities and jeopardising public safety.


The council refutes that it has low standards:


l as far as we are aware we are the only licensing authority which conducts daily checks of drivers’ criminal records on the DBS Update Service.


l in the last financial year, 343 driver licence applications were refused, 403 drivers’ licences were revoked, and 46 driver licences were refused renewal.


lWolverhampton council has three compliance teams which work across the country, including every weekend into the early hours of the morning.


l in the last financial year, 390 operations were undertaken, with 4,369 vehicle checks under- taken. According to the Department for Transport statistics, Wolverhampton refused, revoked and suspended more licences than any other council.


Wolverhampton has not sought applications for licences from outside its area and does not benefit financially from the taxi licensing regime, as all fees are ringfenced.


City of Wolverhampton Council wants to work with all to improve the regime, making it simpler, safer and cheaper.


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