New proposals put forward by a Government task group would see a major shake up of the Taxi and Priv

New proposals published by a Government task and finish group could see a major shake up of Birmingham taxi and private hire industry. A list of more than 30 recommendations has been listed by the group, which was set up last year by the Department for Transport. An urgent review as been called to tackle out-of-date legislation that is struggling to deal with issues surrounding ride-sharing apps that have reshaped both the taxi and private hire sectors. Some key recommendations include CCTV to be fitted in all licensed vehicles, DBS checks to be undertaken every six months and for all drivers must be able to speak and write in English. One of the main proposals, an issue that has been highlighted by many licensing authorities across the UK, is that taxi and private hire vehicles can only operate in the area they are licensed, however, the proposal does suggest that multiple licences can be obtained from different authorities. Additional proposals include establishing a national database of drivers - allowing licensing authorities to cap the number of licences they hand out - an updated list of convictions which can serve as grounds for refusing or revoking a licence and mandatory child sexual exploitation training for every driver. In a report by the BirminghamLive, acting head of the council’s licensing Emma Rohomon said that the current legislation is “outdated” and is in serious need of “updating or replacing”. Rohomon didn’t seem too keen on the six monthly DBS checks, stressing it would cause a significant increase in administration time for the council to implement.

Current legislation require all drivers to undergo DBS checks every three years.