Taxi Driver Online

Kind of lost track of the fine details relating to this, but this on DM News confirms that the legislation has now been enacted.

Of course, as the text underlines, the headline here is perhaps overegging things a bit, because the detail of the national standards have yet to be worked out and implemented, and for obvious reasons that could take some time. And, of course, it's all tied in with the cross-border thing.

And not sure either if the cross-border enforcement powers are now available to all LOs immediately, or what.

And can't find any official government press release or whatever, other than on the very broadest of terms.


It’s Now Law: National Minimum Standards for Taxi and PHV Drivers Finally Passed

https://dmnews.co.uk/its-now-law-nation ... ly-passed/

After decades of campaigning, it’s finally happened. On 1 May 2026, the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill received Royal Assent and officially became law, bringing with it new powers that will allow the government to introduce national minimum standards for taxi and private hire vehicle drivers, vehicles and operators across England for the very first time.

It might not sound like the most glamorous piece of legislation, but for anyone working in the trade — or getting into a cab — this is genuinely significant. Right now, taxi and PHV licensing is managed by 263 separate local authorities, each with their own rules, their own vetting processes, and their own standards. That patchwork system has existed in various forms since the Town Police Clauses Act of 1847. What’s now been passed sets the groundwork to replace it with a single national baseline that every driver, vehicle and operator in England will have to meet.

The push for change accelerated sharply following Baroness Casey’s audit into group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse, published in June 2025, which made 12 recommendations for government — including direct action on the inconsistency of taxi and PHV licensing. Ministers moved quickly, tabling an amendment to the Bill in November 2025, and it has now cleared Parliament and received Royal Assent.

So what does it actually mean in practice? The new Act gives the government the power to set national licensing standards for taxis and PHVs, ensuring that all licence holders are subject to the same set of requirements on safety and accessibility, regardless of which local authority they applied to. Crucially, enforcement officers will now be able to take action against drivers operating unsafely outside the area where they were originally licensed.

It’s important to note that the detail of exactly what the national standards will require hasn’t been confirmed yet. The government has been clear that the standards will be subject to consultation, with passenger safety and accessibility expected to sit at the core. The law passed on 1 May gives the Transport Secretary the power to introduce those standards — but the specifics are still to be worked out. So while this is a landmark moment, there is still work to do before drivers and operators know exactly what will be required of them.

The Suzy Lamplugh Trust, which has campaigned on this issue for decades, described it as a “momentous milestone.” The organisation welcomed the stronger enforcement powers and the data-sharing provisions in particular, though was clear that legislation alone isn’t enough — implementation will be everything.

One of the most contentious issues running alongside this new law is cross-border licensing, where drivers obtain a licence from one authority at lower cost and then operate almost entirely in another area. The government has already consulted on reducing the number of licensing authorities from 263 down to 70 Local Transport Authorities, which would go further in closing that loophole and making enforcement far more practical.

For the vast majority of drivers who already operate professionally and responsibly, the day-to-day impact remains to be seen until the consultation process concludes. But for passengers, the direction of travel is clear — wherever you get into a licensed vehicle in England, the aim is that the driver behind the wheel will eventually be vetted to the same standard.

This is the press release from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust published a couple of days ago. Which seems like a reasonable summary, and critique at the same time. For full notes and links please visit the original via the link below


New law paves the way for national minimum standards for taxis & private hire vehicles

https://www.suzylamplugh.org/news/new-l ... e-vehicles

New law paves the way for national minimum standards for taxi & private hire vehicle driver safety checks after decades of campaigning

Today, the Suzy Lamplugh Trust welcomes a momentous milestone in its decades-long campaign to bring in national minimum standards for taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) driver licensing as new legislation enabling this has today officially passed through parliament.

The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill has now become law, introducing new powers that will enable the Government to set consistent requirements and regulations for taxi and PHV drivers, vehicles and operators across England, including stricter safety and accessibility checks.

For too long, inconsistent and varying standards across licensing authorities have persisted. While most licensed drivers are decent and honest professionals, our research has shown worrying patterns where some drivers with convictions for violent offences including sexual assault, harassment, and grievous bodily harm continue to be knowingly licensed by authorities, thus undermining passenger safety and public confidence. Tragic cases such as Sian O’Callaghan, who was murdered by licensed driver Christopher Halliwell in 2011, and victims of John Worboys who was able to misuse his position of trust to carry out serious crimes, including rape and sexual assault, also serve as a stark reminder of the consequences when safeguards fail.

This new law paves a significant step forward in addressing these long-standing issues and preventing dangerous drivers from obtaining licences. It is therefore vital that these national minimum standards are introduced and developed at the earliest opportunity, in consultation with experts across the sector, to ensure all passengers receive the same baseline protections, regardless of where they travel.

However, it should be noted that legislation alone will not be sufficient, and the effectiveness of these reforms will depend on implementation. We welcome new provisions setting out stronger national enforcement powers for licensing authorities to carry out compliance and suspension checks against any taxi and PHV in their area. Along with robust data sharing on driver conduct, this will help to prevent drivers from exploiting safety gaps between individual licensing authorities’ policies and ensure regulatory consistency across all areas in the country.

The Suzy Lamplugh Trust looks forward to working closely with the Government to help turn these reforms into a reality that puts victims’ and passengers’ needs at the heart of these changes. Passengers need to be assured that, wherever they get into a licensed vehicle and whoever the operator or licensing authority is, drivers have been vetted to the highest possible safety standards.

Emma Lingley-Clark, Interim Chief Executive of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust said:

“We welcome this significant and long-overdue milestone in our long-standing campaign for national minimum standards in taxi and private hire vehicle driver licensing. It is a vital step towards creating a safer and more consistent licensing system that better protects passengers who currently remain at risk from concerning legal loopholes which make it entirely legal for dangerous drivers to obtain a licence despite government guidance to the contrary.

The priority now must be implementation, which must include consultation with independent experts to develop the standards and strong national enforcement powers for licensing authorities to close existing gaps and ensure safer standards are applied consistently across all areas in England. We will continue to work with the Government and partners to support the development and implementation of these measures to ensure passenger safety remains at the heart of this new framework.”

Elaine Pickford, Mother of Sian O’Callaghan said:

“My daughter Sian was killed by local private hire vehicle driver Christopher Halliwell aged just 22 in March 2011, believing that by getting into his vehicle this would have been a safer way home than walking alone. But that expected trust was broken with the most devastating outcome.

After doing some research I was staggered to learn that there was no legislation mandating safety standards for drivers, so driven by the circumstances of Sian’s death I began working with the Suzy Lamplugh Trust to push for change and call for national standards. Despite the introduction of the Safeguarding & Road Safety Act in 2022 (known as Sian’s Law) which my son Liam and I very much welcomed, we knew more still needed to be done. We are therefore delighted that the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill has been passed into law enabling the creation of national regulations for the taxi and PHV industry in England, which is a long time overdue.

To get into a vehicle as a solo passenger with a stranger is a very vulnerable situation to be in. People still need to feel safer, checks must be done, and authorities need to and must work together. I echo the words of The Suzy Lamplugh Trust: ‘It is vital that national minimum standards are introduced and developed at the earliest opportunity’.

Myself and my family's lives have never been the same without Sian, to know that this legislation will result in greater improvement to people’s safety, is what Sian would want, as she was all about supporting and helping others.”

ENDS

possibly a step in the right direction but will the big money PH chains try and influence the detail in their favour

_________________
lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

At present, nothing has changed.

But once the mayoral elections happen next year, and new guidelines are published, then maybe we are a step forward.

_________________
IDFIMH