TAXI AND PRIVATE HIRE INQUIRY: Who’s going to give evidence at the House of Commons to MPs?
- Perry Richardson
- Oct 12
- 2 min read
MPs will begin taking oral evidence on the regulation of taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) in England on Wednesday 15 October, as part of the Transport Select Committee’s new inquiry into the effectiveness of current licensing systems. The session will be held from 9.15am to midday in Room 16 at the Palace of Westminster and is open to the public.
The inquiry aims to assess whether existing licensing arrangements across England are working as intended and if they provide passengers with safe, reliable and accessible transport. Committee members will also examine inconsistencies between local licensing authorities, the growing impact of cross-border operation, and the role of major ride-hailing platforms in shaping standards across the sector.
At 9.15am, the first panel of witnesses will include David Lawrie, Director at the National Private Hire and Taxi Association (NPHTA); Eamon O’Hearn, National Officer at GMB Union; Andy Mahoney MBE from the Licensed Private Hire Car Association (LPHCA); and Paul James, Project Manager at Unite Taxi Education Liverpool. They are expected to outline key concerns from trade bodies, including enforcement, safety, and disparities in licensing practices.
From 10.15am, the Committee will hear from regulatory representatives. Helen Chapman, Director of Licensing and Regulation at Transport for London (TfL), will be joined by David Pattison, Chief Operating Officer at City of Wolverhampton Council, and Lee Petrak, Public Protection Commercial Enforcement Manager at Blackpool Council. Their evidence will focus on local authority approaches, the challenges of enforcement, and whether national standards could improve consistency.
The inquiry will also consider the effectiveness of the National Register for Revocations, Refusals and Suspensions (NR3S), complaints systems, and the potential impact of autonomous vehicles on licensing.
The Transport Committee Chair, Ruth Cadbury MP, has said that varying approaches among local authorities have led to a “patchwork” of standards, with examples such as Wolverhampton City Council issuing a large proportion of licences to drivers operating outside its area. The issue of cross-border working is expected to feature heavily in the discussions.
This first evidence session will shape the Committee’s next steps and highlight where further investigation is required. Proceedings will be broadcast live on Parliament TV.
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