Taxi trade debates mammoth Manchester enforcement blitz as drivers discuss safety, fairness and cross-border hiring
- Perry Richardson
- 5 minutes ago
- 2 min read
A late-night taxi enforcement operation in Manchester city centre has triggered a fierce response from within the taxi trade, exposing deep divisions over standards, enforcement and the long-running issue of cross-border hiring.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed that officers checked more than 174 taxis during the operation, resulting in one arrest, 24 licensing suspensions, five vehicle defect notices and two immediate prohibitions. The checks were carried out as part of a proactive operation involving partner agencies, with GMP stating passenger safety remained the priority.
While some drivers and operators welcomed the crackdown, others accused police and councils of targeting the trade while ignoring wider crime and regulatory failures elsewhere on the road network.
Colin Birch, a licensed taxi driver who commented publicly in support of the operation, said compliant drivers had nothing to fear. “If you have nothing to hide your car and badge and insurance are all good, tyres are ok. Stop, get checked, move on and get your next job,” Birch said. He added that enforcement was normal across transport sectors and essential for public confidence, arguing that passengers had a right to expect vehicles to be safe and legal.
Industry reaction has been sharply divided after police checks in Manchester led to an arrest, dozens of suspensions and renewed anger over out-of-area licensing.
That view was echoed by several other drivers who said inspections helped remove unsafe vehicles and rogue operators from the streets. Another cabbie said he had “nothing to hide” and supported more frequent checks across Greater Manchester, while Gavin Thompson described the operation as overdue and said similar enforcement was common decades ago.
However, the scale of suspensions raised some concerns among parts of the trade about consistency and policy failure. Tony Tattersall said the figures pointed to deeper structural issues, commenting that removing more than 30 vehicles from 174 checks was “a high percentage” and should prompt questions about how unsuitable vehicles were being licensed in the first place.
Much of the criticism focused on cross-border hiring, with Manchester-based drivers again questioning why vehicles licensed hundreds of miles away were operating locally. Dave Doughty Snr said out-of-area taxis working Manchester streets could pose risks to the public and undermine trust in the system, while Graham Trevena argued that current licensing arrangements had “ruined the trade”.
Others accused enforcement bodies of focusing on easy targets. Umar Ghani said taxi drivers were being singled out while other illegal road activity went unchecked, and another cabbie argued that working drivers were bearing the brunt of enforcement.
Greater Manchester Police has not indicated whether further operations are planned soon in the lead up to Christmas, but similar multi-agency checks have been carried out across England in recent months as forces and councils increase scrutiny of taxi and private hire compliance.
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