Posted on the 7th January 2026 in PHTM News

ROTHER CAB DRIVERS FACE CRACKDOWN UNDER PROPOSED PENALTY POINT OVERHAUL

Taxi and private hire operators in Rother could soon be subject to a tightened disciplinary regime as local councillors prepare to vote on a series of rigorous new service standards.

On Monday, January 12, the Rother District Council’s Licensing and General Purposes committee will meet to determine whether to endorse a revised penalty point scheme.

If approved, the measures will move to a full council vote, introducing "new ways drivers can be given penalty points" for conduct previously outside the scope of formal sanctions.

The proposed revisions target both environmental standards and professional ethics. Key changes include:

  • In-car conduct: new prohibitions against "vaping in vehicles" to ensure passenger comfort.

  • Parking violations: stricter enforcement against "parking on pavements and/or disabled bays."

  • Discrimination sanctions: drivers would be penalised for "deliberately driving away from a taxi rank while a passenger with assistance needs is approaching." This specific violation would carry a heavy six-point penalty.

Under the proposed framework, the council is setting a clear limit on driver misconduct.

Any operator who "accrues more than 11 points" will be automatically referred to a licensing panel. This body will then determine if the driver remains a fit and proper person to hold a license or if "further disciplinary action is required."


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