Interesting piece on Taxi Point about 'right to work' checks, which relates to immigration and stuff like that
But I think Taxi Point's headline here frames it a bit more narrowly than what's actually happening - it's not just about
private hire operators, although that was the basis of the question asked.
But the official response to the parliamentary question refers to private hire *and* taxi operators. And since central government usually uses the t-word specifically to mean HCs, then it's presumably across both codes
On the other hand, what precisely, is a *taxi* operator in England? A taxi or PH operator in Scotland is a plateholder, in simple terms
And since this is about right to work and immigration checks, then it will presumably apply throughout the UK, since stuff like that is still reserved to Westminster, and not devolved to the Scottish Parliament.
And, of course, while both taxi
and PH circuits in Scotland are licensed as booking offices, taxi(HC) circuits in England aren't regulated at all, at least in the purely licensing sense.
So I suspect Taxi Point's headline has framed it all a bit narrowly. And if you read the actual parliamentary response then it's all a bit vague in terms of how it will actually apply, and who will be held responsible for the checks.
So I suppose it's simply safe to say that the duty to carry out right to work checks will be tightened up, but where precisely responsibility will lie isn't clear
Private hire operators face legal duty to carry out driver right to work checks from Octoberhttps://www.taxi-point.co.uk/post/priva ... om-octoberPrivate hire operators will face a clearer legal responsibility to prevent illegal working when changes to the Government’s Right to Work Scheme take effect on 1 October 2026.The Home Office confirmed the position in response to a question from Shivani Raja, Conservative MP for Leicester East. Raja asked the department to explain the evidential basis for requiring private hire operators to conduct right to work checks on drivers.
Jo White, Home Office Minister, said the changes would apply to organisations engaging people to provide work or services under their company name, including operators in the taxi and private hire vehicle sector.
White said: “Historically, these labour market models have presented challenges for enforcement because accountability for compliance of the legal requirement to prevent illegal working has not been clearly defined and instance of illegal working have been identified.”
The Government’s position is that existing licensing checks have not, on their own, established sufficiently clear responsibility when illegal working is discovered. This has been identified as a particular concern where drivers provide services through an intermediary or platform-based business model.
White said: “While local authority licensing checks form an important part of the existing system, reliance on these checks alone has created ambiguity as to where accountability rests if illegal working is identified, particularly where services are provided through intermediary or platform-based models.”
She added: “The approach being taken provides clarity and consistency, ensuring that responsibility sits with the organisation engaging the individual to provide work or services.”
The response did not provide figures showing the number of illegal-working cases involving taxi or private hire drivers. Instead, the Home Office referred to assessments published during and following the passage of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025, alongside its consultation response and wider enforcement data.
The publications cited include impact assessments for the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill and Act 2025, the Government’s response on extending the Right to Work Scheme, and information covering returns from the UK and enforcement activity.
The change means operators will need to ensure their driver onboarding and compliance procedures meet the expanded statutory requirements from 1 October. It also places operator checks alongside, rather than in place of, the right to work controls already applied through local authority licensing.
The Home Office said it would continue monitoring the effect of the measures and publish further assessments and data on illegal working and enforcement activity.
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