Delays of up to almost five years between taxi drivers receiving a disqualifying criminal conviction and losing their licence to operate has led to demands for clarity over passenger safeguarding.
Stormont’s Department for Infrastructure (DfI) blamed some delays on drivers failing to notify them of their convictions, prompting an MLA to question if there is an “overreliance on self-reporting”, that could have safeguarding consequences.
The data has emerged after previous scrutiny of taxi driver vetting in Northern Ireland, in the wake of the jailing of an east Belfast cabbie in 2024 for threatening a passenger in his vehicle with an imitation firearm.
Following his sentencing, it was revealed the driver had 66 previous convictions.
Meanwhile, the PSNI has also refused to release an image of a taxi driver who raped a woman in his cab in Co Down, amid concerns from an ex-policeman that senior officers refused to investigate if he was a serial sex offender.
Now the DfI has revealed details of the length of time between drivers being convicted of a crime that disqualifies them from holding a taxi licence, and actually having that licence revoked.
In some cases the revocation happens in a matter of days, but can take years in the worst instances.
The data was released by DfI minister Liz Kimmins in response to a written Assembly question by Newry & Armagh DUP MLA Gareth Wilson.
Between 2021 and 2025, 12 drivers had their taxi licence pulled due to receiving a criminal conviction.
One of three drivers who lost their licence in the 2024/25 period was able to drive for 1,805 days – 4.9 years – after the disqualifying conviction. Another case that year saw a delay of 672 days, and the third 276 days.
In the three disqualifications in 2023/24, the longest delay was just under three years (1,073 days), the second longest 90 days, and the shortest 50.
In 2022/23, there were delays of 2.3 years (866 days), 138 days, 71 days and 53 days.
However, in 2021/22, the two disqualifications were faster, occurring in three days, and 20 days.
In her response, Ms Kimmins highlighted the onus on drivers to alert the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) of any relevant convictions.
Gareth Wilson said the public will be demanding answers over the delays.
“I want to be clear that these concerns are not directed at the vast majority of taxi drivers, who provide a valuable service and comply with the rules governing the industry,” the MLA told the Irish News.
Twelve taxi drivers have had their licence revoked in Northern Ireland since 2021 after being convicted of a criminal offence
“The minister’s answers raise important questions about the effectiveness of some aspects of the current taxi licensing regime.
“The vast majority drivers carry out their work professionally every day. My concern is ensuring that the licensing system is sufficiently robust to protect public safety and maintain that high degree of confidence in the industry.
“The public will rightly ask how such substantial delays can occur when the Department ultimately concluded that these convictions justified revocation.
“If a conviction is serious enough to lead to the removal of a licence, there are legitimate questions about what happened during the intervening period. What is particularly concerning is that the minister’s response appears to indicate that taxi drivers themselves are required to notify the DVA of any new convictions during the period of their licence. That raises questions about whether there is an overreliance on self-reporting within the system.”
A DfI spokesperson told the Irish News that when applying for a taxi licence, “drivers must provide an Enhanced Disclosure Certificate, which details any convictions they have at that time”.
“Taxi drivers must also notify DVA of any new convictions that arise during the period of their licence, which is normally valid for five years,” they said.
“Whilst this notification process is a condition of the licence, there are some cases where this does not happen.”