6,000 private hire licenses issued in Wolverhampton; most won't work there though

Over 6,000 drivers were given private hire licenses by Wolverhampton Council in the last 12 months. Most of those however will not work in the district they were licensed.

5,319 of the 6,395 drivers registered in the last year do not live in the surrounding area of Wolverhampton; some drivers live as far away as Southampton.

The crux of the problem stems from the  Deregulation Act 2015 which entitles drivers to work anywhere in the country rather than just in its own licensing authority.

Resources in local authorities that are more stringent with licensing are however bearing the costs of policing unwanted drivers from other more lenient authorities.

TaxiPoint can confirm that the council has removed a local road map test which has since shown a spike in new applicants.

Taxi drivers across the UK are questioning Wolverhampton's lenient approach to licensing, which is attracting private hire drivers from around the country.