Greater Manchester’s new mayor, Bev Craig, says she’s hopeful the region will get new legal powers this autumn to crack down on the number of out-of-town private hire vehicles working on local streets.
Craig made the comments after being challenged live on air during a BBC Radio Manchester phone-in on 13 August. A Stretford resident named Bob asked her directly why so many private hire vehicles working in Greater Manchester carry licences issued by councils many miles away, including Wolverhampton and Sefton.
“It’s something that’s been bothering us for a long time,” Craig said. “We’ve all seen it, loads of taxis, be it Wolverhampton or Sefton, you see them coming in from out of town.”
Under current rules, a private hire driver and vehicle licensed by one council can legally take bookings anywhere in England and Wales, provided they’re dispatched through a properly licensed operator. That’s allowed drivers based in Greater Manchester to obtain licences from councils hundreds of miles away — often where fees are lower or checks less rigorous — while working almost entirely on Greater Manchester’s roads. Wolverhampton in particular has become a focal point of the national debate, having issued a disproportionately large share of England’s out-of-area licences in recent years.
Craig argued that bringing licensing back under local control would let Greater Manchester apply consistent standards on vehicle safety, driver checks and local knowledge — and said she hoped legislative movement this autumn would hand the region the powers to make that happen.
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