Portsmouth set to tighten taxi licensing rules following strong public backing for DfT guidance changes
- Perry Richardson
- Feb 22
- 3 min read
Portsmouth City Council’s Licensing Committee is poised to amend its hackney carriage and private hire licensing policy after a public consultation showed broad support for aligning local rules with the Department for Transport’s best practice guidance.
A report to the Licensing Committee on 20 February 2026 recommends adopting a series of changes to the council’s Statement of Licensing Policy, with implementation proposed from 1 April 2026. The amendments follow consultation between 15 August and 31 October 2025, which drew 767 responses from drivers, operators, customers and community groups.
The proposed revisions are set out in the council’s “Final Recommendations – February 2026” document, which details nine areas where policy updates are under consideration. These include strengthening references to the Public Sector Equality Duty, introducing compulsory disability awareness training, reinstating topographical knowledge tests for taxi drivers and mandating daily vehicle walkaround checks.
Consultation data shows majority backing for several of the proposed measures. More than 83% of respondents supported developing a clear inclusive service plan to make taxi and private hire services more accessible. Around 69% backed disability awareness training for drivers, while 71.94% supported equivalent training requirements for private hire operators and their customer-facing staff.
Committee to decide on new disability training, local knowledge tests and insurance requirements from April 2026
The committee is also being asked to reinstate local knowledge testing for hackney carriage drivers. Portsmouth removed topographical tests in 2023 due to increased use of satellite navigation, but 78.23% of consultation respondents said local knowledge remains important for a good taxi service. National best practice guidance states that taxi drivers should have a good working knowledge of their licensed area because they can be hailed on the street and cannot pre-plan routes.
In contrast, the council’s current position, as noted in the report, is that private hire drivers do not require topographical testing given the role of operators in route planning and the availability of navigation systems. The proposed reinstatement would therefore apply to hackney carriage drivers only.
Minimum driving experience requirements are set to remain unchanged. Portsmouth currently requires applicants to have held a full driving licence for at least two years, exceeding the statutory minimum of one year. Nearly 75% of respondents agreed that two years is the right amount of experience for professional drivers, and the committee is recommended to retain this threshold.
Operational controls are also under review. Around 71% of respondents supported requiring drivers to complete and retain daily vehicle walkaround checks before starting work. The proposal would require checklists to be kept for at least 12 months and produced on request to authorised officers.
For private hire operators, the committee is being asked to introduce a condition requiring evidence of public liability insurance or equivalent employer’s liability cover of at least £5 million at grant and renewal. Consultation results show 74.04% support for this requirement.
The report notes that the primary objective of taxi and private hire regulation is public protection, and that while DfT best practice guidance is non-statutory, licensing authorities are expected to have regard to it when formulating policy. Financial implications are described as limited, although any new training costs would be met by applicants or operators under the proposed framework.
If approved, the amendments will update Portsmouth’s policy to reflect the 2023 update to the DfT’s Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing Best Practice Guidance and will take effect from 1 April 2026.
