Concern taxi licensing laws put public safety at risk in Sheffield

It's claimed people’s safety is being put at risk by taxi drivers working in Sheffield when they’re licensed elsewhere.

GMB –the trade union which represents black cab and private hire drivers - is staging a protest in Sheffield later against a change in the law which means private hire vehicles can work in different parts of the country to where they got their licence.

Steve Lonnia, Head of Licensing at Sheffield City Council, says it means drivers working in the city haven't necessarily been through their tough safety checks: “It’s about protecting the people of Sheffield or those who come to Sheffield to visit. Our drivers have to go through a strict process. It’s unfair that somebody from another authority that hasn’t gone through the same process can come and work here without any checks.

“We don’t have any powers or authority to stop these vehicles. That’s one of the reasons why over the next few weeks we’ll be working with South Yorkshire Police so that we can approach some of these vehicles and see what they’re doing. If we really have to, we may have to look at prosecutions.

“We recently reported about six vehicles back to the Isle of Anglesey, and they’ve revoked all six licenses.

“The reason they go to these other authorities is because they can’t get a license in Sheffield. Whether it’s because we might have refused them a license or they know they’ve got an offence.”

GMB is holding a demo outside Sheffield Town Hall today in protest over what it calls the ‘wild-west’ Deregulation Bill.

GMB Yorkshire Organiser, Bob McNeill, said: “Cross border plying for hire is a real problem.

“The Deregulation Bill has meant licensing authorities such as Transport for London (TfL) are free to issue licenses without rigorous checks and safeguards in place, making enforcement and safety extremely difficult in the Yorkshire region's licensing authorities, allowing companies such as UBER to operate without consequences.

“GMB are calling on the Government to listen to our professional drivers and introduce national enforceable standards and safeguards to protect our members and the travelling public."

In a statement, an Uber spokesperson said: “Millions of people across more than 25 towns and cities in the UK use Uber to help them get from A to B. All the drivers who use our app are licensed and insured for private hire and have gone through the same enhanced DBS background checks as teachers and taxi drivers.

“Private hire drivers are not restricted to driving only in one jurisdiction. It’s perfectly legal and common practice for drivers licensed in one area to carry out trips in another. Competition in the industry is a good thing as it not only gives drivers more options, it also forces companies to innovate and offer a better service to passengers."

A DfT spokesperson said: “If there are any concerns about specific TfL-licensed drivers operating in another area, the local authority in that area should raise those concerns directly with TfL. It is not illegal for a private hire vehicle to provide a passenger journey outside its ‘home’ licensed area, providing that the car, driver and operator are all licensed in the same area

“Public safety is paramount and taxi and private hire vehicle licensing must work to protect all passengers. We expect councils to carry out criminal record checks for all drivers and check they have the licences they need to carry passengers – and we have made that clear in guidance. The Policing and Crime Act 2017 gives us the powers to introduce even tougher statutory guidance for councils.”

• taxis
• uber