Private hire boom leaves traditional taxis trailing as Sefton licences soar by over 1,000 in just 12 months
- Perry Richardson
- 7 hours ago
- 2 min read
Sefton Council processed significantly higher volumes of taxi and private hire licensing work during 2025/26, with the number of private hire driver licences rising by over 1,000 year-on-year as growth in the private hire sector continued to outpace the traditional hackney carriage market.
According to the council’s Taxi Licensing Annual Report 2025/26, a total of 12,957 live licences were recorded on 1 April 2026, compared with 10,958 a year earlier. The figures were presented to Sefton Council’s Licensing & Regulatory Committee and provide an overview of licensing activity, enforcement work and compliance monitoring carried out during the year.
The data shows continued expansion in the private hire market. Private hire driver licences increased from 5,502 at the start of April 2025 to 6,698 by April 2026. Private hire vehicle licences also rose from 4,879 to 5,724 over the same period. In contrast, hackney carriage driver numbers fell from 249 to 232, while hackney carriage vehicle licences declined from 218 to 193.
Private hire operator numbers remained stable at 110 licences.
Licensing staff also handled substantially larger workloads than in the previous financial year. Vehicle applications, renewals and transfers reached 9,146, representing an increase of 1,639 compared with 2024/25. Driver applications and renewals climbed to 6,212, up by 1,003 year-on-year.
A sharp increase was also recorded in knowledge testing activity. The council offered 4,109 tests during 2025/26, compared with 1,165 in the previous year. However, nearly a quarter of booked candidates failed to attend, with 993 no-shows recorded. The report states that 1,805 candidates passed their test while 1,307 either failed or had their application voided, producing an overall pass rate of around 58%.
The annual report also details the authority’s approach to determining whether applicants are considered fit and proper persons to hold a licence. During the year, officer appeal panels reviewed 238 cases involving new applicants. Of those, 150 licences were granted and 91 were refused, with the report stating that refusals were primarily linked to convictions involving drugs and violence.
Existing licence holders also faced regulatory action where concerns were identified. The panel considered 50 cases involving current drivers, resulting in 25 licence revocations and five suspensions.
Enforcement activity remained a major part of the service’s workload. Taxi licensing officers carried out 1,622 vehicle inspections during the year. A total of 317 advisory defect notices were issued, mainly relating to vehicle bodywork condition, while 563 stop notices were served for bodywork issues and breaches of licence conditions, including defects involving signage and licence plates.
The service also investigated potential unlicensed activity and confirmed that one prosecution relating to an alleged unlicensed driver remains pending.
Meanwhile, officers handled 777 service requests, complaints and enquiries during the year, covering matters ranging from driver conduct and driving standards to overcharging complaints, lost property, accident reporting and suspected unlicensed activity.
