A Wolverhampton-licensed private hire vehicle was found parked directly on a taxi rank in St Helens town centre this afternoon, according to a compliance update shared by WV Protect on X.
The group said the driver insisted he was not parked on a rank — but photos show the PHV positioned squarely within the marked taxi-only area.
DM News Commentary
Yet another Wolverhampton-plated private hire vehicle getting attention on Merseyside — and again, it’s for the same issue that keeps coming up: PHV drivers parking or stopping on designated taxi ranks.
This might seem like a small thing to the public, but for licensed hackney drivers it’s a legally protected space that they rely on for work. Private hire vehicles cannot pick up, drop off, wait, or stop on a taxi rank under any circumstances.
For drivers working apps like Uber, Bolt or Veezu, this is a reminder worth repeating:
Taxi ranks are strictly for hackney carriage vehicles only, regardless of where your licence plate is issued.
With Wolverhampton vehicles making up a huge percentage of PHVs operating across the North West, incidents like this continue to highlight the ongoing tension around cross-border work, local enforcement, and differing standards across authorities.
More compliance teams are watching, more bodycams are rolling, and more of these moments are ending up online. Drivers need to be extra careful — especially in areas like St Helens, Liverpool and Manchester, where hackney ranks are clearly marked and actively enforced.
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