Wolverhampton private hire driver licences surge to nearly 50,000 as out-of-area drivers continue to flock to region
- Perry Richardson
- 4 minutes ago
- 2 min read
City of Wolverhampton Council has reported sharp growth in its private hire licensing figures for the year 2024–2025, with a total of 49,983 licensed private hire drivers — an increase of 7,508 over the previous year. The city continues to attract applicants from across the UK, positioning itself as the country’s leading authority for private hire drivers looking to take advantage of cross-border working in the sector.
The rise in licences continues to coincide with a nationwide trend for out-of-area working, which allows licensed drivers to operate outside the area where they were originally licensed. Under existing legislation, once a driver, vehicle, and operator are all licensed by the same authority, the driver can undertake pre-booked journeys anywhere in England and Wales. This legal provision has allowed thousands of drivers from across the country to apply for licences in Wolverhampton, where the licensing system is known for its digital infrastructure, efficient processing, and low licensing fees.
For the Council, this has translated into 16,381 new private hire driver applications in the last year alone. While this is a slight decrease on the previous year, the drop is attributed not to waning interest but to the limited availability of training slots required for applicants. Officials noted that the shortfall amounts to just two weeks’ worth of missed sessions.
The city’s licensing system has undergone staffing changes to handle the growing demand. As of May 2025, there were over 7,700 applications in queue, of which 4,798 were awaiting processing and 2,919 under review. A new ‘Talent Acquisition Officer’ has been brought in to manage recruitment, with four permanent Licensing Officers already appointed and nine agency staff providing additional support.
By contrast, the hackney carriage sector continues to shrink. Only two new hackney carriage driver licences were issued this year, while seven drivers opted not to renew. Dual driver licences also declined. The Council’s figures reinforce a national pattern of decline in the traditional taxi trade, which requires drivers to undertake stricter local knowledge tests and limits them to work within defined city boundaries.
Private hire drivers, however, are not bound by the same territorial restrictions as hackney carriage drivers. Once licensed in Wolverhampton, they can accept bookings from any area through app-based operators, provided those bookings are pre-arranged. This flexibility, coupled with Wolverhampton’s fully digital licensing process and shorter application turnaround compared to some other authorities, makes the city an attractive choice for many.
The licensing authority processed more than 59,000 driver and vehicle licence applications in the past year. While the system cannot lawfully cap the number of applications, the Council has taken steps to manage demand and ensure enforcement keeps pace. These include expanded compliance operations and improved tracking of complaints and licence breaches.
The increase in drivers has also contributed to rising enforcement figures. Suspensions totalled 3,193, while 1,263 licences were revoked. In many cases, revocations were due to non-compliance with licence conditions, including failure to maintain an active subscription to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Update Service.
Despite this, Wolverhampton continues to outperform other licensing authorities in speed and scale of service. Its ability to attract and regulate large numbers of drivers has drawn national attention.
