Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle illegal private hire taxi drivers.

Enforcement of the taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) licensing regime is a matter for licensing authorities and the police.

Best Practice Guidance issued by the Department for Transport to licensing authorities in England highlights some of the actions licensing authorities should take to reduce the use of those unlicensed, uninsured and unvetted who are seeking to illegally carry passengers. These include assisting the public to recognise the difference between taxis and PHVs; taxis should be required to display a roof sign and, these should be prohibited for PHVs. Taxi marshal schemes provide an opportunity to prevent the use of unlicensed vehicle that might be plying for hire. The important role ‘test purchasing’ can play in identifying and evidencing illegal drivers that should be prosecuted is highlighted.

Licensing authorities should also recognise that unnecessary barriers to obtaining a licence can potentially restrict the availability of the licensed trade to such an extent that the public resort to the use of unlicensed drivers and vehicles.