TIME TICKING DOWN: Important taxi and PHV consultation closes in less than 10-days

There are less than 10-days remaining for the taxi industry to return their views and ideas on new taxi licensing guidance that could help reshape and modernise the sector.

A raft of new recommendations have been made, covering pretty much every hot topic impacting the taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) sector right now, ranging from enhanced driving standard requirements to better signage on taxis.

The Government opened up the 12-week consultation with the aim of updating vital taxi and PHV guidance supplied to local authorities. Their key aim was to help authorities better cope with new digital ways of working following the boom in ride-hailing services.

The Department for Transport (DfT) first issued best practice guidance to licensing authorities in 2006 and this was refreshed in 2010.

It is widely recognised that much has changed in the taxi and PHV industry and the time has come to update the guidance to ensure it reflects new ways of working, new technology and feedback from interested parties.

The DfT have therefore been seeking industry stakeholder views on the new best practice guidance proposals for taxi and PHV licensing authorities and any evidence that supports them.

The consultation ends 23.45pm on 20 June 2022.

Most taxi and PHV representatives have kept their cards close to their chest so far in terms of revealing their responses to the consultation. There is an expectation that their responses will be made public soon.

Hackney Carriage representatives will most likely focus heavily on the vehicle licensing points around the identification of both taxis and PHV and the usage of tinted windows.

Driver proficiency and training will also be scrutinised and seen as an opportunity to bring in enhanced driving tests, disability awareness training and more.

Steve Wright, Licensed Private Hire Car Association (LPHCA) Chairman, said in Private Hire News: “This best practice consultation is an opportunity to re-set some of the poorer policies with the many better policies that are out there which actually work for the trade, the licensing authority and most importantly, the travelling public.

“We are pleased that the questionable policies some have adopted on tinted windows, age limits, signage, inappropriate testing and training can now be evaluated by government via this consultation.

“With the industry in crisis following the pandemic, considerable air quality requirements and catastrophic driver shortages, regulation needs to be fit for purpose. Training and testing also needs to be appropriate, as does some of the unacceptable penalty points systems, which go way beyond sensible safety needs.”