WOLVERHAMPTON COMPETITION: Blackpool Council slashes taxi and PHV licensing fees and drops training

The cost of taxi and minicab licensing in Blackpool has been slashed and an element of vocational training scrapped as the council aims to be more competitive in the licensing market.

Private hire vehicle (PHV) drivers working in the Blackpool area have chosen to secure licences from City of Wolverhampton Council who are seen as a cheaper and quicker licensing alternative.

Blackpool Council has seen the number of licensed taxi and PHV drivers drop in recent years. They are now hoping that a cut to the cost of its taxi licences and the removal of a £300 vocational qualification will encourage more people to work as cabbies and licence in the area they plan to work and live in.

Drivers must still meet medical and safeguarding requirements including DBS (criminal conviction) checks and local knowledge testing.

According to The Gazette, Blackpool Council have dropped the price of a one year licence to £75 from £90. A three year licence has reduced to £195 from £250, and the renewal of a three year licence has reduced to £175 from £225.

Since demand for minicab services bounced back after the final coronavirus restrictions were lifted, the City of Wolverhampton Council (CWC) recently revealed that they are on course to expand their pool of licensed drivers by an astonishing 10,000 in 2022-23.

Wolverhampton officials blamed other local authorities for pushing out of area applicants their way due to higher licensing fees and slower processing times.

Greg Bickerdike, City of Wolverhampton Council Licensing Manager, said in the report: “Because of the shortage of drivers, Wolverhampton has been inundated with applications from across the country, in part due to slow processing times and high fees in their home authority. This has created a backlog of applications.”