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Taxi smoking penalties fall sharply, but Liverpool still tops council league table
Councils issued 45% fewer Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) to licensed vehicle drivers caught smoking in their vehicles in 2025/26 than in 2024/25, according to data compiled by Alternix through Freedom of Information requests.
The company said the requests were sent to councils to establish how many licensed vehicles had been found to contain drivers smoking, which can expose passengers to second-hand smoke. The figures follow a previous disclosure that 415 FPNs were issued to taxi drivers caught smoking in their vehicles in 2024/25.
Fourteen councils recorded a 100% fall in FPNs in 2025/26, Alternix said.
Some councils recorded increases. Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council had the largest reported rise, from two FPNs in 2024/25 to five in 2025/26, a 150% increase. Blaenau Gwent, Cheltenham, Dundee and Durham each recorded a 100% increase, while East Ayrshire’s total rose from three to five, an increase of 67%.
Liverpool City Council issued the most FPNs in 2025/26, with 95. That was 7.7% fewer than the 103 notices it issued in 2024/25, when it also had the highest reported total.
Birmingham City Council issued 28 notices, down from 48 a year earlier, a fall of about 42%. Mid Ulster District Council issued 21, compared with 32 in 2024/25, a reduction of about 34%.
Other councils among the ten highest totals for 2025/26 included Calderdale with 12 notices, Hart with 11, Folkestone and Hythe with seven, and Bradford with six. Oldham and East Ayrshire each issued five, while Kirklees issued four.
David Phillips of Alternix said: “Second-hand smoke is a known killer. It is really encouraging to see many councils are reducing the number of FPNs being issued, due to work being done to reduce smoking and encourage other forms of nicotine, such as nicotine pouches or vapes. It’s great that if smoking is caught, councils are taking action to enforce the law and ensure that members of the public can enjoy a smoke-free journey.”
