Posted on the 8th June 2026 in PHTM News

MEETING MINUTES REVEAL BRISTOL CABBIES KEEP LICENCES DESPITE SERIOUS DRIVING OFFENCES

Bristol City Council is facing criticism for its lenient approach to taxi licensing after secret documents revealed drivers caught speeding, running red lights, and using mobile phones are still being allowed to transport passengers.

Despite the vital role drivers play in protecting the public, councillors are routinely allowing serial traffic offenders to stay behind the wheel.

The inner workings of the monthly three-councillor panel that decides the fate of "dodgy drivers" are strictly confidential, with the press and public barred from attending. However, newly published minutes covering 11 months of meetings have exposed a pattern of minimal repercussions.

In one notable case from June last year, a driver was caught driving through Bedminster with his phone on his lap—despite having a previous 2018 incident where he was caught texting while driving and "almost hitting a pedestrian." He was handed just a one-month suspension.

An analysis of 137 pages of these minutes by the Local Democracy Reporting Service uncovered that 14 drivers caught speeding were permitted to keep operating, sometimes after only a brief suspension. Among these cases were three drivers caught using their phones, two who closely overtook cyclists, and one who ran a red light.

Another driver, identified only as PI, mounted and drove along a pavement to avoid traffic, later claiming it was a "momentary lapse of judgement" to get an "elderly lady to her medical appointment on time."

The issue stretches beyond Bristol's boundaries, as many local app-based and traditional drivers are licensed by neighbouring authorities.

Similar enforcement issues were flagged in 2024 by South Gloucestershire Council, where a driver managed to pick up 1,000 more passengers despite being suspended following 50 complaints.

Defending the panel's record, Liberal Democrat councillor Sarah Classick, chair of the public safety and protection committee, stated that "elected members make their decisions on whether to suspend or revoke a taxi licence based on the reports and any evidence presented during a hearing."

She added that "the council’s licensing policy strictly follows the government’s statutory taxi and private hire vehicle standards."


Read another story