Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has renewed his call for government ministers to ban private hire drivers from working outside the areas where they are licensed, describing the current rules as a “broken system.”
Burnham is due to meet with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander and other key ministers on Thursday 4 September to push for the change as part of an amendment to the English Devolution Bill, currently moving through Parliament.
Half of Greater Manchester’s PHVs Licensed Elsewhere
Figures reveal that nearly 49% of private hire vehicles operating in Greater Manchester are licensed by councils outside the region – with Wolverhampton being one of the most common.
“For too long, communities in Greater Manchester and across the country have been at the mercy of a broken taxi system that allows private hire vehicles and drivers to be licensed hundreds of miles away from where they live and operate,” Burnham said.
He added:
“This is not just a matter of fairness for locally licensed drivers to protect their livelihoods – it’s a matter of public safety. Greater Manchester has led the call for reform, and it’s great to see that being backed by our local MPs. With the government having already accepted Baroness Casey’s recommendation regarding out-of-area licensing, this Bill provides an opportunity for decisive action.”
A Long-Standing Campaign
Burnham has been campaigning for years to tackle out-of-area licensing. Earlier this year, he claimed to have secured a “firm commitment” from former Transport Secretary Louise Haigh to address the issue.
The amendment now has cross-party support from Greater Manchester MPs and is being positioned as a landmark opportunity to reform how taxis and private hire vehicles are regulated.
The push forms part of Burnham’s wider “Backing Our Taxis” campaign, launched in April, which aims to:
- End out-of-area working
- Extend VAT exemptions for accessible taxis
- Continue the plug-in taxi grant
- Reduce VAT on public EV charging to 5%
Over 5,000 people from the taxi industry responded to a recent consultation, showing widespread backing for reform.
What Happens Next?
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is now preparing detailed recommendations on how taxi and private hire licensing could be changed in areas not directly covered by the English Devolution Bill.
If the government agrees to Burnham’s proposed amendment, it would mark the most significant reform to taxi licensing in decades – potentially reshaping the private hire trade not just in Manchester, but across England.
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