Wolverhampton Council travel to Derby to perform spot checks on licensed private hire drivers

Image credit: Twitter - @DerbyshireRPU

Wolverhampton Council and Derbyshire Roads Policing Unit teamed up to spend Saturday 25 July performing spot checks on licensed private hire drivers.

You may be forgiven if you're confused as to why Wolverhampton Council are in Derby checking licences. But since cross-border hiring laws changed to allow private hire drivers to pick up passengers from within other licensing authority areas, many drivers travel to seek work.

Wolverhampton Council has come under criticism from some drivers licensed in other locations, who claim many of the 18,000+ Wolverhampton licence holders don't actually intend to work in Wolverhampton.

The roadside checks found only minor defects on the vehicles that were inspected.

Derbyshire Roads Policing Unit said in a tweet that "hundreds of out of county private hire vehicles operate" in Derby.

Image credit: Twitter - @DerbyshireRPU

Some members of the public were slightly perplexed as to why so many drivers choose Wolverhampton Council as their preferred licensing authority.

In response, one man said: "Because it is easier to get a licence with Wolverhampton Council."

Another replied: "Easiest place to get registered. Cheaper and less rules to follow to get the licence. Then you can operate wherever you want."

Wolverhampton Council have always claimed to have a strict licensing policy. Councillor Alan Bolshaw previously defended the council's licensing procedure, saying that the council maintains such high standards that it provided an exemplar for other licensing authorities to follow. He added that many other councils have turned to them for advice.