MIDDLE FINGERS UP: Blackpool cabbies report latest worrying out-of-area private hire incident on taxi ranks amid ongoing concerns
- Perry Richardson
- Dec 27, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 4
A Blackpool hackney carriage driver has reported a worrying confrontation involving an out-of-area private hire vehicle using a designated taxi rank, reigniting concerns over cross-border rules and enforcement in the resort town.
The incident occurred on 21 December at the taxi rank adjacent to The Flying Handbag Bar, an all-day bar and late-night venue in the town centre. The rank, which accommodates around eight licensed taxis, is clearly marked for hackney carriage use only, according to the driver who documented the incident.
A locally licensed taxi driver said a private hire vehicle, licensed outside the area, remained parked on the rank for several minutes. When a hackney carriage driver asked the private hire driver to move on, the request was met with verbal abuse before the vehicle eventually left the rank.
The hackney carriage driver who photographed the vehicle said they were left shaken by the encounter. In an image shared with TaxiPoint, the private hire driver was seen grinning and swearing with two middle fingers up while being photographed, behaviour the driver said has become increasingly common.
Incident outside nightlife venue highlights ongoing tensions over cross-border private hire activity and limited local enforcement capacity
Local drivers say Blackpool is routinely “inundated” with private hire vehicles licensed by authorities such as Wolverhampton and Knowsley, particularly at weekends. While cross-border working remains lawful under current national legislation when bookings are taken by the licensing authority that issued the operator licence, the use of taxi ranks by private hire vehicles is illegal.
Drivers operating hackney carriages in the town say the problem extends beyond rank misuse, with alleged touting outside nightlife venues, takeaways and transport hubs described as an everyday occurrence. They argue that such activity undermines both passenger safety and the local licensing framework.
The driver speaking to TaxiPoint said the rise of app-based private hire platforms has further weakened local control, with licensing officers struggling to police vehicles licensed hundreds of miles away on a daily basis.
Trade representatives and drivers continue to call for stronger national measures to address cross-border licensing and to give councils clearer powers and resources to enforce local rules. Until then, Blackpool’s hackney carriage drivers say they are left competing in an uneven market, where low fares and weak oversight risk encouraging illegal pick-ups and eroding trust in the licensed taxi trade.
