GREEN MEANS GO
GREATER MANCHESTER LAUNCHES £2M FUND TO HELP PRIVATE HIRE DRIVERS UPGRADE VEHICLES
A new £2m fund has officially opened for Greater Manchester private hire drivers to upgrade their vehicles, transport bosses confirmed on Tuesday 15 September 2026. The scheme provides practical financial support to help local drivers transition to cleaner cars, while leaders simultaneously press the Government for legislative change on out-of-area licensing. Open for applications from 15 September, the Private Hire Vehicle Support Fund offers grants of up to £2,500 to private hire drivers licensed by one of the region’s ten local councils. The scheme helps drivers with older vehicles upgrade to Euro 4 or higher for petrol cars, Euro 6 for diesel cars, or zero-emission capable vehicles. Transport data shows that taxis and private hire vehicles make an estimated 120,000 journeys in Greater Manchester every day, adding up to roughly 44 million trips annually.
Alongside the funding rollout, city region leaders continue to call on the Government to change the law regarding out-of-area licensing. It is estimated that more than 50 per cent of private hire vehicles working in Greater Manchester are licensed elsewhere, giving local authorities limited oversight, fewer enforcement powers, and no direct control over those drivers. Civic and transport leaders want a “licence where you operate” model, and the Government has confirmed it will bring forward a Draft Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny.
30
Mayor of Greater Manchester Bev Craig said: “Private hire drivers play a vital role helping to keep Greater Manchester moving every day, whether that’s getting people to work, healthcare appointments, school, or helping them get home safely at the end of the day. “We’ve listened to the trade and we’re launching this fund to offer private hire drivers practical financial support to help them move to cleaner, more modern vehicles, which is good for them, passengers and good for our environment. “I’ll continue the work with the Government to secure stronger legislation that better supports our locally licensed drivers. They should not be undercut by drivers licensed elsewhere, where we can’t guarantee a safe, high-quality service.” Unions have widely welcomed the initiative. Kevin Flanagan, GMB Manchester Central Branch Secretary,
stated: “The GMB
welcomes the new support fund launched for private hire drivers across Greater Manchester. “We are pleased to have worked with TfGM and welcome the commitment shown by
the
Greater Manchester Mayor’s office in responding to the issues raised and making this support available to drivers. “Drivers have faced significant challenges and costs in upgrading their vehicles in recent years, these grants will provide welcome assistance to those still making the transition to newer vehicles. “We want Greater Manchester to be a national model for the trade and will continue to
support
policies and practices that improve standards, enhance confidence
passenger and support the
livelihoods of private hire drivers across the region.” Andy Wells, Regional Officer for Unite the Union, added that the move would “only lead to an improvement in services for the customer”. The new initiative complements Greater Manchester’s
existing
Hackney Support Fund, which launched in December 2025 to help licensed black cab drivers upgrade to cleaner vehicles, with funding already committed to more than 400 locally licensed black cab drivers. John Potts, a Stockport-licensed hackney cab driver who recently switched to an electric vehicle, noted: “The biggest challenge for many drivers is the upfront cost of changing vehicles. Financial support like this made such a big difference to me and the whole process was really straight- forward.” Locally licensed private hire drivers can apply online at:
greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/phv- support-fund
OCTOBER 2026 PHTM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76
