Wolverhampton private hire vehicles checked in Liverpool as cross-border licensing scrutiny grows

Image credit: WV Public Protection

Compliance officers from City of Wolverhampton Council joined licensing teams from Liverpool City Council and Merseyside Police this week to carry out checks on private hire vehicles operating in Liverpool.

A spokesperson for Wolverhampton Council confirmed that all vehicles licensed by the authority and inspected during the operation were found to be fully compliant.

The operation comes as cross-border hire continues to generate headlines within the industry and among regulators. Cross-border hiring refers to the legal ability for a private hire vehicle (PHV) licensed in one local authority area to operate in another, so long as the booking is made through an operator licensed in the same area as the vehicle and driver.

While lawful under current legislation, the practice has drawn criticism. Some licensing authorities argue that it undermines local enforcement, with drivers often working miles away from the council that licensed them. Others have raised concerns about vehicle and driver standards being harder to manage when licensees operate far from the authority that approved them.

Wolverhampton, in particular, has become one of the most active licensing authorities in England. It has licensed tens of thousands of PHV drivers and vehicles, many of whom work outside the city, including in Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham.

The scale of this licensing activity has led to regular compliance operations being run both inside and outside Wolverhampton’s boundaries, in partnership with local licensing teams and police forces.

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The issue is now part of a wider national discussion. The Transport Select Committee is currently reviewing evidence as part of its inquiry into the licensing of taxi and private hire vehicles. Cross-border hiring is expected to be one of the central topics.

Submissions from stakeholders, including local authorities, driver unions and operators, are starting to be received by the committee. Key points include the need for consistent enforcement powers across boundaries, concerns about local accountability, and calls for reform to the current licensing framework, which has remained largely unchanged since the introduction of the Deregulation Act 2015.