Taxi Driver Online

Pretty typical of the genre is this article on the Telegraph's website.

And the usual boilerplate from Wolves and NPHTA - but is the latter's policy now to have compulsory CCTV nationwide? Have the members decided this?

But unusual in that the one episode related isn't about some kind of sexual thing.

And what are the chances of it being about someone from South Kesteven?

Some dodgy drivers there, I've heard


How getting a taxi became so unsafe

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/advice/unsafe-in-taxi/

The Government is debating an overhaul of taxi and private-hire vehicle licensing as safety concerns have been brought into the spotlight

For the millions of Britons who rely on taxis or private-hire vehicles every day, setting foot into a taxi is an act of routine trust. But do you know how safe your taxi journey really is? What vetting or training has the driver undergone, and how safe is the vehicle they’re driving? The answer, it transpires, is: it depends.

In January, the Government announced that it is considering plans to overhaul the taxi and private-hire vehicle licensing system completely, amid fears that an increasing number of drivers are manipulating the system in a bid to gain licences more easily and therefore bypass some of the more stringent checks.

According to the Government, female passengers will be better protected under its plans to reduce “out-of-area” working by taxi and private-hire vehicle (PHV) drivers (when drivers licensed in one area operate mainly in another, creating safety risks and unfair competition). Currently, 263 bodies issue licences to drivers, but under the proposals set out in a new consultation launched by the Department for Transport, this could be reduced to 70 local transport authorities, which already manage local transport planning. The consultation closes on April 1 this year.

Coupled with reports of a huge surge of complaints made against drivers by passengers who have felt unsafe during rides – there were 17 allegations of sexual assault or rape made against private-hire taxi drivers from a single licensing body in just a three-month period last year – it starts to feel difficult to know how to make sure your taxi journey is safe.

Sophie’s experience

Sophie Knight, 43, knows all too well how frightening it can be when a cab ride goes wrong. Knight, a hypnobirthing consultant, was left terrified when she realised that the private-hire vehicle she and three friends were travelling in had a flat tyre – and the driver refused to stop.

“There was this awful noise coming from under the car,” Knight, from South Kesteven, Lincolnshire, recalls. The passengers realised that the car had a flat, but the driver ignored their pleas for him to stop, as he trundled onto a busy dual carriageway.

“We were all screaming at him to pull over and let us out, saying we didn’t feel safe, but he just ignored us and kept driving,” Knight says. “A man we didn’t know had us trapped in a dangerous car and we couldn’t get out. We all felt incredibly vulnerable and he just kept repeating: ‘It’s OK.’”

After a terrifying few minutes, one of the group called the taxi firm and reported the driver, who was ordered to stop by his dispatcher. Knight says: “He eventually pulled over in a bus stop on the side of the dual carriageway in the middle of nowhere, with traffic flying past. The taxi firm sent us another cab, which we had no choice but to get into, but the night was ruined.

“We didn’t realise how vulnerable we were and how everything could have gone horribly wrong. We were a group of women and a man had trapped us in his car.

“Now, I only book cabs where I know the driver personally – there are a couple of people in our village who are taxi drivers and I’ll only book with them now. I don’t trust that a stranger is going to keep me safe in their car, and advise my friends to do the same.”

How do you know, then, that the driver and the vehicle picking you up are both competent and safe?

A spokesman for the Department for Transport says: “Incidents like this are rare and the vast majority of taxis get passengers to their destination safely and reliably. Drivers are expected to meet high standards before they can be licensed, and local authorities can take swift action where drivers fall short, including suspending or removing licences to protect passengers.”

Varying licensing standards

However, as each of the 263 separate licensing bodies across the country set their own requirements, the standards can vary wildly. While a driver in London is required to have held their licence for three years before getting a taxi permit, in other areas it is only 12 months. There are also huge variations in the age of car allowed to be used as a private-hire vehicle, and in the level of medical and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) vetting checks required for would-be drivers, as well as the level of spoken English that is considered sufficient.

To further complicate matters, there are no restrictions as to which authority a driver applies to, meaning that they can choose to apply to any licensing authority across the country, even if they do not work in the area, often opting for a licensing body that offers cheaper fees or less stringent vetting.

The number of drivers choosing to licence out of area has increased sharply in recent years – Wolverhampton council licensed 33,893 PHVs in 2025, up from 10,768 in 2020. As many as 96 per cent of vehicles licensed by the council are not operated in the area, meaning that it can be difficult for authorities in other areas to carry out checks on drivers and vehicles.

A City of Wolverhampton council spokesman said: “Safeguarding is our number one priority in taxi licensing, and we adhere to all standards as set by government. We stress it is illegal for the council to refuse applicants a taxi licence on the basis of where they live.”

A movement for all licensing bodies to have standardised rules is currently being debated by the Government, and could see all councils having to adopt rules set out by more stringent councils, including fitting CCTV in all private-hire vehicles and taxis, or using driver ID cards that can be scanned with a smartphone, currently being used in Wolverhampton.

David Lawrie, president of the National Private Hire and Taxi Association, says: “The focus needs to be on making sure councils are aligned in their standards for drivers. Things like having CCTV in all cabs is beneficial to both the driver and the passenger.”

The importance of self-defence

Of course, the vast majority of journeys carried out by the 381,000 taxi and PHV drivers currently registered pass without incident. But former celebrity bodyguard Dene Josham says that it always pays to be vigilant when booking a cab.

Josham, who runs the Streetwise Defence self-defence training school alongside partner Julie Waite, says: “We hear from lots of people, especially women, who have been left feeling vulnerable in a cab.

“We’d always advise planning your journey in advance if possible. If you’re using an app like Uber, check the driver’s rating and comments and then check their ID badge when they arrive. Intuition is your superpower, plug into it. It works faster than your logical brain, and if something feels off, remember that it’s OK not to get into the car, or to ask them to pull over and end the journey at any point.

“We should be able to ask a driver to let us out of a cab, but sometimes it can feel unsafe. Lots of people worry about being rude, or annoying or angering a driver. If you feel uncomfortable to ask the driver outright to stop if they aren’t driving safely, have an excuse ready. It can feel easier to say: ‘Stop the car, I’m going to be sick,’ than just: ‘I want to get out.’

“You could pretend to get a message changing your plans, and say you need to be dropped off at a closer location, or ask to make a stop at a petrol station or fast-food joint where you can get out if you feel you need to end the journey promptly. Sometimes just having those ideas in the back of your mind makes it easier if you are placed into a stressful situation.”

As usual, I'm sure drivers are capable of working that out, and if they don't feel safe then they'll have taken appropriate measures. I mean, I don't thing many (if any) councils have actually banned CCTV being installed on a voluntary basis