Posted on the 4th September 2025 in PHTM News

GREATER MANCHESTER MAYOR PUSHES FOR BAN ON OUT OF AREA DRIVERS

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is calling on government ministers to ban drivers from operating outside of the area where they are licensed, a practice he describes as a "broken system." 

The mayor is meeting with key government ministers on Thursday 4 September, including the transport secretary Heidi Alexander, to advocate for the change as an amendment to the English Devolution Bill, moves through Parliament.

According to the mayor, a significant number of private hire vehicles in Greater Manchester (49%) are registered with different councils, such as Wolverhampton. 

The mayor said: “For too long, communities in Greater Manchester and across the country have been at the mercy of a broken taxi system that allows private hire vehicles and drivers to be licensed hundreds of miles away from where they live and operate.

“This is not just a matter of fairness for locally licensed drivers to protect their livelihoods – it’s a matter of public safety.

“Greater Manchester has led the call for reform, and it’s great to see that being backed by our local MPs. With the government having already accepted Baroness Casey’s recommendation regarding out of area licensing – further reinforcing the urgent need for change – this Bill provides an opportunity for decisive action to be taken by the Government. “

The proposed ban has been a long-standing goal for Burnham, who previously stated he had a "firm commitment" from former Transport Secretary Louise Haigh to address the issue.

The amendment to the English Devolution Bill has gained support from local MPs across multiple parties.

The mayor's push for reform is part of his broader "backing our taxis" campaign, which was launched in April to overhaul how Greater Manchester licenses its own cabbies, which again called on the government to end out-of-area working.. 

The campaign also seeks to extend VAT exemptions for accessible taxis, continue the plug-in taxi grant, and lower the VAT on public electric vehicle charging to just 5%.

An engagement exercise on the campaign received over 5,000 responses from the taxi industry.

It is understood that Transport for Greater Manchester is now preparing its recommendations for how to change the areas of taxi licensing not covered by the English Devolution Bill.


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