Taxi and private hire drivers in Wolverhampton are claiming that delays in renewing their licences are costing them revenue.
Members of the Wolverhampton Taxi and Private Hire Federation met on Tuesday, August 5, to discuss their next steps after claiming the city council is "dragging their feet."
They say there are delays in the renewal of their licences by Wolverhampton Council. Licences have to be renewed every year after the age of 65 due to medical reasons or every three years before then.
According to federation chairman and campaigner Balbir Singh, drivers are facing long waits for licence renewals, with many being told their licences are merely extended, not renewed.
He said, "That doesn't give the drivers the assurance they need that they are licensed and insured for the necessary period and some of them are unable to drive legally in the interim period.
"The stated time for a reply seems to be ten days and it is sometimes longer than that, with new staff in particular who have been taken on seeming to not know the process.
"We understand the council deals with a lot of applications from other areas outside the city but we feel their first priority should be to hackney carriage and private hire drivers from the area they serve.
"We urge them to come to the table and discuss the issue as at the moment the drivers in the city are feeling they have no confidence in the licensing department to renew their permits speedily and so they are able to get back on the road quickly and earn again."
The drivers are also frustrated with what they describe as a bureaucratic process, with Singh stating: "We have to beg to be able to see anyone at Wolverhampton Council," with drivers asked to correspond by email or telephone.
Last September the GMB Union published figures showing that Wolverhampton Council issued nearly 90% of all new private hire licences in the Midlands in 2024.
The data revealed Wolverhampton issued a whopping 8,563 licences in the first five months of 2024 – more than 87% of the new licences issued by some of the largest authorities in the East and West Midlands and that Wolverhampton issued nearly five times as many licences as Birmingham - despite being just one fifth the size.
The council, however, has stated that "renewals are being processed by our officers and that drivers may continue to work while their renewal application is processed, provided it is correct and complete.
“Renewals will be granted once all documentation and test results are received."
The council also noted that the federation is part of the council's trade group and is welcome to discuss issues at meetings.
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