Committee publication · Correspondence · 20 May 2026 · HC 80

Correspondence from the Minister for Local Transport, Department for Transport relating to pre-legislative scrutiny of taxis and private hire vehicles bill, dated 13 May 2026

Inquiry: Licensing of taxis and private hire vehicles

Summary

The Department for Transport has been granted authority for pre-legislative scrutiny of a taxi and private hire vehicle bill, scheduled for examination by the Transport Select Committee. The bill aims to modernise taxi and PHV legislation across England with a single consistent framework, strengthen safeguarding following Baroness Casey's findings on child exploitation, enhance enforcement powers, establish a national database, and improve accessibility for disabled passengers.

Key findings

Bill will replace Victorian-era patchwork of outdated taxi and PHV rules with a single, consistent framework across England
Addresses Baroness Casey's recommendation that inconsistent licensing creates vulnerabilities exploitable by grooming gangs and threatens child safety
Will introduce a mandatory national database of licensed vehicles, drivers and operators to improve transparency and information-sharing
Proposes stronger enforcement powers for regulators to take swift action when drivers or operators breach licence conditions
Includes measures to improve accessibility for disabled passengers and ensure consistent customer experience across local authority boundaries

Tone

Procedural

Topics

taxi-regulationsafeguardingpublic-safetyaccessibilityprivate-hire-vehicles

Key actors

Lilian Greenwood MP, Ruth Cadbury MP, Baroness Casey, Department for Transport, Transport Select Committee

Notable line

“… inconsistent taxi and private hire vehicle licensing creates vulnerabilities, particularly as it relates to children, that can be exploited by grooming gangs.”

Key Quotes

“Pre-legislative scrutiny is the detailed examination of an early draft of a Bill which is done by a parliamentary select committee.”
— Lilian Greenwood MP · explaining the purpose of pre-legislative scrutiny

“… vehicle bill will modernise taxi and PHV laws to make everyday journeys safer, fairer and easier.”
— Lilian Greenwood MP · stating the overarching aim of the legislation

“Baroness Casey was clear that inconsistent taxi and private hire vehicle licensing creates vulnerabilities, particularly as it relates to children, that can be exploited by grooming gangs.”
— Lilian Greenwood MP · justifying the need for national standards on safeguarding grounds

“Modernise taxi and PHV law for the way people travel today , replacing a patchwork of outdated, Victorian-era rules with a single …”
— Lilian Greenwood MP · describing the bill's core legislative objective

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Source · parliament.uk record ↗