EVIDENCE REVEALED: Bolt calls for national standards to modernise private hire licensing while keeping local control
- Perry Richardson
- Sep 21
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 22
Bolt has urged the Government to formalise national taxi and private hire standards, arguing the current framework is fragmented and administratively heavy despite broadly consistent safety practices across England.
The operator, licensed by 56 UK authorities, says statutory national baselines for checks and enforcement would cut duplication for councils and strengthen passenger confidence.
The firm reports near universal use of enhanced DBS and right to work checks for drivers, with high levels of record-keeping and complaints procedures already required by councils. Bolt says this practical consistency is not matched by law, fostering a perception of uneven safety that formal national rules could address.
Outdated requirements are highlighted. Bolt notes many councils still mandate a physical local office and paper processes even though bookings are dispatched digitally. Coventry’s virtual office provision is cited as a pragmatic exception. The company suggests modern digital verification and data sharing should replace legacy paperwork, supported by potential government help to expand in-vehicle CCTV where cost is a barrier.
Variation in fees and processing times is flagged as a driver of cross-border licensing. Bolt points to a three-year licence costing £255 in Manchester and £277 in Birmingham, compared to £139 in Wolverhampton. An FOI found Wolverhampton employs 113 licensing and enforcement staff, while Bury reported one officer handling all applications, highlighting uneven capacity.
Bolt says operators face over 3,900 individual licence conditions across its UK footprint, despite similar themes. It argues harmonising operator conditions would allow teams to focus on service quality and accessibility, while maintaining rigorous reporting such as 48-hour incident notifications to police and councils.
On cross-border working, Bolt’s data for London shows out-of-area drivers accounted for 3% of safety complaints in 2024 and had a lower complaint rate per journey than London-licensed drivers. The company argues joint enforcement powers and better collaboration between councils should be used more often to address public concerns, rather than restricting trip patterns that support network coverage, especially at night and in rural areas.
The firm backs outcome-focused oversight of digital platforms. It highlights daily automated checks on licences and insurance, journey GPS tracking, anomaly detection, an SOS button, and data sharing with authorities. Bolt says these tools raise standards and reduce administrative burden for councils, with partnerships such as that with Transport for the West Midlands offering insights into first and last mile gaps.
Bolt calls for the NR3 revocations and refusals database to be mandatory in both application checks and ongoing updates. It proposes a more dynamic system that alerts authorities daily to status changes, noting Transport for London’s daily-download API as a model to prevent non-compliant driving.
Looking to autonomous vehicles, Bolt warns that a national AV permit regime must align with local PHV licensing to avoid overlapping rules. It argues experienced operators should manage AV fleets under clear safety outcomes, preserving competition and consistent passenger protections.
