TRADE OPPOSED: Cornwall taxi drivers push back against plan to scrap long-standing licensing zones
- Perry Richardson
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
Cornwall Council is considering whether to retain its existing taxi licensing zones or merge them into a single county-wide system after a public consultation revealed strong support for keeping the current arrangements.
A report presented to the council’s Community Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 5 March 2026 outlines the results of the consultation and asks members to recommend whether Cabinet should maintain Cornwall’s six hackney carriage taxi zones or abolish them to create one licensing area covering the entire authority.
Cornwall currently operates six taxi zones inherited from the former district and borough councils that existed before the creation of the unitary authority in April 2009. Under current legislation, hackney carriage taxis remain restricted to operating within their licensed zone when plying for hire, while private hire vehicles operate under a single county-wide licensing area and must always be pre-booked.
The consultation ran from late September to 31 December 2025 and attracted 413 responses. Of those respondents, 72.6 percent supported retaining the existing zoning structure, while 24.1 percent favoured amalgamating the zones into a single licensing area. Around half of respondents were from the taxi and private hire trade.
Majority of respondents oppose proposal to merge Cornwall’s six hackney carriage taxi zones into a single county-wide licensing area
The issue has re-emerged following updated Department for Transport guidance which recommends the abolition of taxi zones. National guidance argues that zoning can reduce taxi availability and limit customer choice by preventing vehicles licensed by the same authority from picking up passengers outside their designated area.
Supporters of amalgamation argue that a single zone could allow drivers to pick up passengers anywhere in Cornwall, reducing so-called “dead mileage” where taxis must return empty to their licensed zone after completing a journey in another area. Some consultation responses also suggested it could simplify fares and licensing arrangements.
However, many respondents raised concerns about the potential impact on rural communities and local taxi operators. Some drivers warned that removing zones could encourage vehicles to cluster in busier towns or major events, potentially reducing availability in smaller communities and increasing competition for work among drivers.
The council report notes that 50 hackney carriage vehicles currently hold two licences to operate across multiple zones. If zones were abolished, each vehicle would require only one licence covering the whole county. The current fee for a hackney carriage licence is £320, meaning some revenue from dual licences could be lost if the system changed.
Officials also highlighted that any decision to amalgamate zones would be permanent. Under legislation, once taxi zones are merged they cannot later be reinstated or altered. If approved, the council would also need to introduce a single table of fares for the whole of Cornwall and publish formal legal notices before the change could take effect.
The Overview and Scrutiny Committee will now consider the consultation findings and supporting analysis before making a recommendation to Cornwall Council’s Cabinet, which will take the final decision on the future structure of taxi licensing zones in the county.
