ROUND THE COUNCILS STAFFORD:
BLACK COLOURED CABS ALLOWED
Stafford BC has updated its taxi licensing policy to permit black coloured hackney carriages in the area, ending its long-standing rule that only white vehicles could be used. The move, approved by a full council meeting on September 9, was made in response to a request from the taxi trade. According to a council report, the change was necessary because white vehicles are “becoming harder to come by and waiting lists can be up to 12-15 months, thereby presenting a barrier to the trade.” The new policy, which covers 2025-2030, also introduces an incentive for drivers to purchase WAVs, which are “very expensive to buy.” The new rule will permit WAV owners to license a standard saloon vehicle as a hackney carriage after they have licensed a WAV for eight consecutive years. The report stated that this change will “hopefully attract more hackney carriage proprietors, which are currently declining quite rapidly, whilst retaining enough WAVs within the trade for those customers who require them.” In addition to the new colour policy, the council confirmed its commitment to transitioning to greener vehicles. The new policy mandates that all licensed vehicles must be hybrid, electric, or hydrogen-fuelled by 2030. While the taxi trade had requested this deadline be extended to 2035, the council deemed the earlier date “reasonable and proportionate,” noting that the UK government’s ban on new petrol and diesel cars begins in 2030.
HIGHLANDS: KNOWLEDGE TEST FOR PH DRIVERS
The Highland Council is considering a proposal that would require hundreds of private hire drivers to pass a knowledge test, a requirement already in place for taxi drivers. The move follows a public consultation that revealed strong support for the change, with 70% of respondents in favour of the new testing. Currently, taxi drivers in the region must pass a two- part exam with an 85% pass mark for local knowledge and a 75% pass mark for the wider Highland area. They are granted three attempts to pass both sections. The proposed change would affect the 345 licensed private hire drivers across the Highland Council area,
50
with the highest concentration in Inverness. The licensing committee was to review the results of the consultation, which received 44 responses to its consultation, with 52% received from taxi drivers, 13% from PH drivers and 25% from the public. If the proposal is approved, the Highland Council would join eight other Scottish councils that already require both types of drivers to take knowledge tests. Meanwhile, the council has opened a public consultation on a proposed increase to the taxi luggage fee. Under the draft plans, the fee for luggage would rise from £5 to £10. The Highland Licensing Committee, which is legally obligated to review taxi tariffs every 18 months, approved the draft tariff for public consultation at its meeting on September 16, 2025. If the new tariff is approved, it would come into effect in February 2026. All other standard fares are set to remain unchanged. Residents have until October 20, 2025, to provide their feedback. All responses will be considered by the Highland Licensing Committee on December 2, 2025.
SOUTH CAMBRIDGESHIRE: DELAY FOR LOW EMISSION POLICY
South Cambridgeshire DC is considering a two-year extension, to 2030, for its zero or ultra-low emission taxi policy. The move comes after significant feedback from drivers about the financial pressures of the cost of living and expense of acquiring new, compliant vehicles. The original deadline was December 1, 2028. A recent consultation showed widespread support for the delay among drivers, with 482 in favour and only 32 against. Council officers noted that extending the deadline would acknowledge “the challenges” of building a sufficient charging infrastructure and the current “economic pressures on the taxi trade.” They also warned that without an extension, drivers might simply register with another council and continue to operate non-compliant vehicles in the district, leading to no overall reduction in emissions. During the discussion, some councillors pointed out that Cambridge City Council plans to restrict access to its city centre to ultra-low and zero-emission taxis in 2028. Officers responded that individual drivers would need to decide whether to comply with Cambridge city’s rules to continue working there, while still being able to work elsewhere in the district if they chose not to.
OCTOBER 2025 PHTM
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