Ministers will change the law to strengthen safety and
protections for passengers in taxi and private hire vehicles.
The proposed new standards come after Baroness Casey's audit into
Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, which was
published in June of this year. Since then the Government has
acted fast to keep passengers and young people safe.
Under new rules, debated in Parliament on Tuesday 25th November,
the Transport Secretary would have the power to introduce
national minimum standards for taxi and PHV licensing – which
would see all drivers, vehicles and operators subject to robust
checks and requirements on safety and accessibility.
This would mean passengers can feel safe in knowing their taxi
and PHV meets strict national standards, no matter where they are
in the country.
An amendment to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment
(EDCE) Bill, which was tabled last week (Tuesday 18th November)
would allow these new powers to be introduced.
Baroness Casey's wide-ranging report made 12 recommendations for
Government, including addressing inconsistent standards of taxi
and PHV driver licensing. The amendment would help protect
passengers from the small number of people that seek to do harm
and protect the reputation of the vast majority of the trade who
are, as Baroness Casey acknowledged “law-abiding people providing
an important service to the public.”
Secretary of State for Transport said:
“While the vast majority of taxi and private hire vehicle drivers
are responsible, passenger safety is our top priority. We are
therefore working quickly and decisively to address the concerns
around taxi and PHV licensing highlighted in Baroness Casey's
report.
“This amendment is a first step and shows the Government is
committed to delivering robust national minimum standards so
passengers can travel with confidence."
These standards will be subject to consultation and will be
primarily focused on passenger safety and
accessibility.
The progress has been commended by Baroness Casey, safety
campaigners and the taxi and private hire vehicle
industry.
Baroness Casey said:
“The vast majority of taxi drivers are law-abiding people who
provide a vital service to the public. Yet, for too long,
weaknesses in the taxi licensing system have left it open to
exploitation by those intent on sexually exploiting children.
“I welcome this announcement as an important first step towards
introducing new, rigorous standards that will help protect the
most vulnerable.”
The Government continues to consider wider options for reform,
including on out of area working. As part of this, the Department
for Transport will shortly be launching a consultation on making
all local transport authorities responsible for taxi and PHV
licensing - reducing the number of licensing authorities from 263
to 70 - to help further increase consistency in standards.
Patrick Gallagher, Chief Operating Officer, Addison
Lee: “Having operated at the heart of London for 50
years, we welcome the Government's important move to introduce
national minimum standards for taxi and PHV licensing. Passengers
rightly expect and deserve a reliable service wherever they
travel, yet the current system undermines passenger safety and
fairness for responsible operators.
“A clear, legal baseline applied across every local authority is
essential to establish a consistently high safety standard across
the sector and to crack down on unscrupulous operators exploiting
the law. We look forward to working closely with the Government
to make these reforms a reality.”
Suky Bhaker, CEO of The Suzy Lamplugh Trust
said: “The Suzy Lamplugh Trust welcomes the
announcement that new legislation would enable the introduction
of national minimum standards for taxi and private hire vehicle
driver licensing.
“We have campaigned for decades to improve safety checks on
drivers and close the current loophole in the law which enables
drivers with convictions for violent and sexual offences to be
knowingly given a licence.
“The recommendations from the Casey review and the Taxi and
Private Hire Vehicle Task and Finish Group report call for an
urgent change in the law to protect passengers from the minority
of drivers who wish to harm to passengers. Further delay will
continue to put passenger safety at risk and we look forward to
national minimum standards being introduced in consultation with
independent experts at the earliest possible opportunity.”
Notes to editors
- The amendment to the English Devolution and Community
Empowerment Bill seeks to introduce powers for the Secretary of
State to create national minimum standards for taxi and private
hire vehicle licensing.
- These standards will be subject to consultation following
Royal Assent of the Bill and will be primarily focused on
passenger safety and accessibility.
- Baroness Casey's Audit on Group-based Child Sexual
Exploitation and Abuse was published in June 2025.
- You can view the report and the Government response
here.
