“UTTERLY BROKEN”: MP backs taxi driver lobbying push to close ‘out-of-area’ licensing loophole after Casey review warning
- Perry Richardson
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
Labour MP Ian Byrne has backed calls from taxi drivers and trade unions for urgent reform of England’s taxi and private hire licensing system, warning that current rules allowing widespread out-of-area working are “undermining safety and driving down standards”.
In a statement posted on social media, Byrne said the current regulatory framework is failing both passengers and drivers. “England’s taxi & private hire system is utterly broken,” Byrne said. “Out-of-area licensing is a national failure, undermining safety & driving down standards.”
The Liverpool West Derby MP confirmed he supports the union Unite’s push for legislative change that would allow councils to enforce stronger local safety standards. “I’m backing Unite the Union’s call for urgent reform so councils can enforce proper local safety rules,” Byrne said, adding: “Our communities & drivers deserve better.”
The comments come as taxi drivers prepare to lobby MPs in Parliament this week, urging the Government to implement recommendations from the independent Casey review into group-based child sexual exploitation. The review, published in June, warned that inconsistencies in taxi and private hire licensing arrangements could place women and children at risk and called for urgent national reform.
Ian Byrne says England’s taxi and private hire system is “utterly broken” as drivers press Government to deliver long-promised licensing reforms aimed at strengthening passenger safety.
Union officials say progress on implementing those recommendations has been slow, despite the safeguarding concerns raised. Drivers and union representatives will meet MPs to request parliamentary questions referencing the Casey review and the impact of out-of-area working, while also pressing ministers to publish a clear timetable for legislative change.
Cross-border hiring occurs when a private hire operator licensed in one local authority accepts a booking but the journey is carried out in another council area. Because licensing powers rest with the authority that issued the licence, the local council where the journey actually takes place may have limited ability to enforce rules or investigate complaints involving that driver or operator.
Unite argues that the system is being exploited by some operators and drivers, creating uneven safety standards and undermining local enforcement. The union says compliant local drivers also lose work to those licensed in areas with different regulatory requirements.
While Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has indicated the Department for Transport intends to introduce some reforms, Unite says current proposals do not go far enough. In particular, the union is calling for a “start or finish” rule requiring private hire journeys to begin or end in the driver’s licensing area, the introduction of national licensing standards covering vetting and safeguarding training, and new powers allowing councils to enforce against any driver or operator working within their boundaries.
Without legislative change, union representatives argue that councils will continue to struggle to regulate services operating within their areas, leaving the system open to inconsistent safety standards and regulatory gaps.
