Ministers “will legislate” to tackle inconsistent taxi and private hire standards amid fears some vehicles “are a dangerous place for many children and young people”.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the Government is taking licensing “very seriously” after Baroness Casey identified “many cases of group-based child sexual exploitation” as having links with taxis.
In the Commons, Labour MP for Derby North Catherine Atkinson asked: “What actions is the minister taking to review taxi licensing so that everyone can have confidence that the taxi and private hire industry is reliable, sustainable and safe for passengers and drivers themselves?”
Ms Alexander replied: “I can assure (Ms Atkinson) that we’re taking this very seriously – we are reviewing licensing authorities’ compliance with existing guidance, and we will hold those who do not follow it to account.
“And we will go further following the publication of Baroness Casey’s review, and we’ve committed to taking legislative action to close the loopholes in the current licensing regime to achieve higher standards of safety across the board.”
Antonia Bance, the Labour MP for Tipton and Wednesbury, later added: “Last week, the Casey review showed us yet again that private hire vehicles are a dangerous place for many children and young people.”
She referred to Wolverhampton, where 96% of taxi and private hire licence holders lived outside the city between April 2023 and March 2024, according to a report by Taxi Point, and asked: “What action is the minister going to take to make sure that local taxi licensing is done locally to high standards?”
Ms Alexander told MPs: “Baroness Casey has rightly brought this issue into sharp focus and we’ve committed to legislating – as I said to (Ms Atkinson) – to addressing this issue.
“We will work as quickly as possible and consider all options including out-of-area working, national standards and enforcement, seeking the best overall outcome for passenger safety.”
Responding to a written question this week, local transport minister Simon Lightwood said the Government would “act urgently to make improvements” following Baroness Casey of Blackstock’s national audit on group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse.
This would include looking at “how existing statutory guidance can be strengthened to further protect the public”.
He added: “Some important protections have already been put in place since earlier inquiries into child sexual abuse and exploitation.
“All licensing authorities in England now undertake extensive driver background checks, and since 2023, they are required to use a single database to prevent a driver refused a licence in one area on safety grounds going elsewhere.
“Careful consideration of the options is needed as we do not want any change to decrease the availability of highly vetted licensed drivers and vehicles and inadvertently increase the use of those offering illegal services that evade these licensing checks.”
Labour MP for York Central Rachael Maskell asked what steps the Department for Transport would take “to close the loophole that enables taxi drivers to apply for a licence in one area and operate in another”.
Baroness Casey dedicated a chapter of her audit to taxi licensing.
“As a key part of the nighttime economy, taxis have historically been identified in a minority of cases as a way children can be at risk of sexual exploitation, both as a potential way for perpetrators to meet their victims, as well as a means of trafficking victims to different locations and introducing them to other perpetrators,” Baroness Casey found.
“Many cases of group-based child sexual exploitation have highlighted links with taxis.”
She later added “a lack of stringency means that drivers who are unscrupulous can apply to a lax neighbouring borough” for a licence, and urged the Government to “close these loopholes urgently”.
