![\"Mayor](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0_Burnham-presser-of-out-of-area-Taxis.jpg\")
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, outlines plans to tackle out-of-area licensing for taxi\u2019s operating in the region(Image: Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n‘Almost half of Greater Manchester\u2019s private hire drivers are licensed elsewhere and that\u2019s simply not right’Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, outlines plans to tackle out-of-area licensing for taxi\u2019s operating in the region(Image: Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n
Andy Burnham has called on Parliament to back a campaign to fix the \u2018broken taxi system\u2019 and crack down on out-of-area cabbies.<\/p>\n
Greater Manchester has been plagued by huge numbers of private hire vehicles operating under apps such as Uber, but being licensed with another local authority miles away. One of the big perpetrators of this is Wolverhampton City Council, who licence 35 per cent of all the private hire drivers in the city-region, according to a Freedom of Information request (FOI) submitted by the LDRS last year.<\/p>\n
It has been a problem the Greater Manchester mayor and his combined authority (GMCA) have been working to try and fix for some time.<\/p>\n
Following a roundtable today (November 21), Andy Burnham<\/a>, unions and representatives from the taxi trade are calling on Members of Parliament to back an amendment to stop \u2018out of area\u2019 licensing through the government\u2019s Devolution Bill.<\/p>\n GM\u2019s leaders hope an amendment to the Bill could expedite the way forward, with Elsie Blundell \u2013 MP for Heywood<\/a> and Middleton<\/a> North \u2013 tabling a new clause for an optional \u2018licence where you operate\u2019 model next week. This would give authorities power to require that journeys start and end within their own area.<\/p>\n A proposal for National Minimum Licensing Standards has also been tabled by the government to be included in the Bill.<\/p>\n Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham said: \u201cTaxis are vital to our transport system and local economy. We want them to be amongst the safest and most trusted in the country. But we can\u2019t do this with the current broken licensing system.<\/p>\n \u201cAlmost half of Greater Manchester\u2019s private hire drivers are licensed elsewhere and that\u2019s simply not right. The report is very clear about the benefits of changes at a national level, and the barriers drivers face when getting their licence locally.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have listened to what drivers, and the industry has told us, and we are determined to lead the way on licensing reform, ensuring high standards, public safety, and fair competition for our drivers. That is why we, along with the trade, are calling on Members of Parliament to back the amendment to close this legal loophole.\u201d<\/p>\n While Hackney Carriages \u2013 or \u2018black cabs\u2019 \u2013 can only operate in the area where they are licensed, current rules mean private hire vehicles (PHVs) can apply for a licence from any authority, each with their own requirements, processes and resources.<\/p>\n If a licence is granted, a driver can operate anywhere in England and Wales. This undermines local enforcement and accountability, with more than one in 10 of all England\u2019s private hire vehicles licensed by one local authority, Wolverhampton council.<\/p>\n The number of out-of-area private hire vehicles in Greater Manchester has risen from under 7,000 in 2023 to over 12,000 today. Just under half of all PHVs operating in Greater Manchester are licensed by authorities outside the ten councils, according to Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).<\/p>\n To tackle the growing problem, the \u2018Backing our taxis: Local. Licensed. Trusted\u2019 campaign was launched earlier this year, calling for new laws to tackle out-of-area licensing and more city-region control over granting licenses and enforcing conditions.<\/p>\n![\"Taxi](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1_Taxi-drivers-vox-pop.jpg\")
Taxi drivers near to Piccadilly Station(Image: ABNM Photography)<\/p>\n![\"Taxi](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763753718_764_1_Taxi-drivers-vox-pop.jpg\")
Taxi drivers near to Piccadilly Station (Image: ABNM Photography)<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2_ABNM3856JPG.jpg\")
(Image: Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n