Andy Burnham to meet Transport Minister calling for out-of-area taxi ban in Greater Manchester

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham will today urge government ministers to back a ban on taxi and private hire drivers working outside the area where they are licensed.

The long-running issue has seen nearly half of private hire vehicles operating in Greater Manchester registered elsewhere, with Wolverhampton a key source of licences. Burnham has described the situation as “broken taxi system” and unfair to local drivers, while also raising public safety concerns.

The mayor will meet transport secretary Heidi Alexander and other ministers today as part of discussions on the English Devolution Bill. The proposed law could include an amendment to outlaw the practice, with cross-party support from MPs including Labour’s Josh Simons, James Frith and Liberal Democrat Lisa Smart.

According to Manchester Evening News, Burnham said: “For too long, communities in Greater Manchester and across the country have been at the mercy of a broken taxi system that allows private hire vehicles and drivers to be licensed hundreds of miles away from where they live and operate.“

He added that the Government has already accepted Baroness Casey’s recommendation to reform out-of-area licensing, calling for urgent action to avoid further delay. Burnham said change would restore trust and ensure standards were raised under local control.

The mayor has been consistent in his campaign, launching the ‘backing our taxis’ drive earlier this year to push for tighter local regulation. He previously secured a commitment from former transport secretary Louise Haigh in February 2024 to address the issue.

With the Bill now progressing through Parliament, Burnham believes a ban is finally within reach, marking a potential major shift for taxi and private hire regulation across the country.

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What could a ban on out-of-area private hire vehicles mean for licensed drivers working in Manchester?

If government ministers back Andy Burnham’s call to ban out-of-area taxi working, thousands of licensed private hire drivers could be forced to leave Manchester’s roads who chose to licence in authorities outside the region.

Currently, nearly half of Greater Manchester’s private hire vehicles are registered elsewhere, with Wolverhampton dominating. Its council has become a popular choice for drivers due to lower licensing costs, quicker application processes, and more flexible conditions compared with many other authorities.

At worst a ban would stop out-of-area licensed drivers from operating in Manchester, even if their booking work comes via national platforms. Instead, they would need to apply for a local Greater Manchester licence, with stricter standards around vehicle emissions, safety checks and driver assessments.

Private hire operators may also face disruption in the short-term whilst drivers re-apply for their licences in the region they work most in. Large booking apps that rely on cross-border licences to maximise driver numbers may see reduced availability, particularly at peak times. Passengers might experience higher fares if supply tightens in the short term.

The Mayor of Greater Manchester said in April 2025: “Taxis are a crucial part of our transport network. Just as we set out to with Bee Network buses, we want our taxi fleet to be amongst the safest and most trusted in the country. But we can’t do this with the current broken licensing system. Local leaders have zero oversight over nearly half the private hire vehicles on our streets, with no relationship with the drivers, no levers to enforce the standards we want and no control over the numbers of taxis serving our communities.

“We want to guarantee our residents that if they’re getting in a Greater Manchester taxi – no matter how they book it – it’s one that meets high standards we expect across all public transport. To do that, we need national change in the English Devolution Bill to both devolve taxi powers to city-regions and stop the ability for vehicles and drivers licensed in non-GM authorities to operate here. Such a change will give political leaders more control over measures that impact public safety, vehicle standards, emissions and accessibility.

“But this is as much about making Greater Manchester the best place to be a taxi driver – and safeguarding the livelihoods of our cab drivers – as it is about passengers. They’ve been under immense pressure over the last few years, and we want to get behind them.“