Taxi Driver Online

Easy enough to nitpick the detail here, and also to say there's capture and vested interests at play here.

But in the round Unite makes a very good point. The Government's proposals won't stop cross-bordering, and in some regards may make things worse.


Leeds cab drivers rally over cross-border hiring destroying livelihoods and putting passengers at risk

Proposal to combine all taxi licensing authorities in West Yorkshire into one ‘would make things worse’

Leeds cab drivers will rally on Sunday over the cross-border hiring loophole that is destroying taxi livelihoods and putting passengers at risk.

When: 14:00 Sunday, 26 April 2026
Where: Bilal Centre, Conway Rd, Leeds LS8 5EE

(Union officials, cab drivers and taxi business owners will be available for interview. Photos available on request)

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The proposed reforms will not solve the problems created by cross border hiring. Unite will continue to hold the government to account until proper protections for drivers and passengers are in place.”

Cross border hiring happens when a private hire booking is accepted by an operator licensed in one local authority, but the journey itself is carried out in another local council area - well beyond the regulatory reach of the licensing authority.

The loophole was created through the Taxi Deregulation Act of 2015. It has created a market for licence shopping, where drivers obtain licences from authorities with the least stringent standards.

Cross border hiring causes local drivers who follow the rules to lose work to those operating out of area and leaves local authorities unable to enforce rules or safety standards on drivers working in the area.

The independent Casey review into group-based child sexual exploitation highlighted that inconsistent taxi and private hire licensing is putting women and children at risk and needs to be urgently reformed.

The government is consulting on reducing the number of taxi licensing areas from 263 to 70 – including in West Yorkshire. This would not solve the issues created by cross-border hiring, either in terms of the Casey review’s safeguarding recommendations or the detrimental impact on local drivers’ livelihoods.

Leeds taxi company operator and Unite member Mike Utting said: “Thousands of cross-border taxis are already coming to Leeds and picking up people without bookings and doing what they want. There are only five enforcement officers working a week – so it’s nearly totally unregulated. It has also greatly reduced the income of Leeds-based private hire and Hackney carriage drivers.

“The proposal to combine all West Yorkshire’s licensing authorities would make it worse. Up to 10,000 vehicles from all over West Yorkshire would be able come to the city to ply for their trade. It would be total disaster for the public and taxi drivers of Leeds.”

Unite believes the focus on reducing licensing authorities is wrong and that the problem of cross-border hiring should be tackled by:

• The implementation of a start or finish rule. This requires every private hire journey to begin or end in the driver’s licensed area (with exceptions for NHS and school transport)

• Introducing national standards including for driver vetting, safeguarding and training

• Stronger enforcement such as allowing local authorities to act against any driver or operator working within their boundaries.

I'm pleased Unite is continuing to lobby the government.

TBH, if they can't make any progress with them, then it's pointless for any of us to try.

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IDFIMH