Home Secretary announces restrictions to taxi and private hire use for asylum seeker medical travel from February 2026
- Perry Richardson
- 3 minutes ago
- 2 min read
The Government will stop asylum seekers from using taxis for routine medical appointments from February, following a review that identified extensive use of private hire vehicles for long-distance journeys.
The decision marks a significant shift in transport policy for people housed in the asylum accommodation system and is aimed at cutting what ministers have described as unnecessary spending.
The Home Office review was launched in September after a BBC investigation reported cases of asylum seekers travelling large distances by taxi or minicab to see GPs and hospital specialists.
One individual told the broadcaster they had been taken 250 miles for an appointment, costing the department around £600 for a single journey. According to government figures now released, transport for asylum seekers has averaged about £15.8 million a year, covering travel from hotels to healthcare sites and other essential services.
Move follows review that found annual transport costs averaging £15.8 million and individual journeys costing hundreds of pounds.
Home Office Secretary Shabana Mahmood said taxi journeys will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances once the new rules take effect. Ministers argue that the scale of current spending cannot continue and that the policy change is part of a wider plan to close all remaining asylum hotels and tighten operational controls across the system.
Mahmood said: “I am ending the unrestricted use of taxis by asylum seekers for hospital appointments, authorising them only in the most exceptional circumstances.
“I will continue to root out waste as we close every single asylum hotel.”
The shift is likely to affect contracted providers responsible for arranging day-to-day movement of asylum seekers, who will now be expected to rely primarily on public transport options. Operators supplying private hire and taxi services to the accommodation network may see reduced demand as a result, particularly in rural areas where public transport links are limited and where taxi firms have been filling gaps in provision.
Industry sources note that some asylum hotels are located in areas with infrequent bus or rail services, often due to availability of accommodation rather than strategic planning. The future of asylum hotels are very much up for debate at the moment as ministers try to find different methods to house those seeking asylum in the UK.
More information is expected when the Home Office issues implementation guidance ahead of the February start date.
