Posted on the 24th June 2026 in PHTM News

SEFTON INUNDATED WITH TAXI APPLICATIONS AS OUT OF BOROUGH DRIVERS SURGE

Sefton Council is experiencing an unprecedented rush of taxi driver applications, yet only half of the prospective drivers actually live within the borough.

At a recent Licensing and Regulatory Committee meeting, principal licensing officer Mark Toohey revealed that around 50 new drivers are applying every single week.

This massive surge has left council officials baffled. "The council is at a loss as to what is behind the surge," Mr Toohey stated, though he suggested that Sefton might simply be seen as an "efficient" and "attractive" borough for processing applications, given that its fees are similar to neighbouring areas.

The numbers reflect a massive year-on-year spike. By April 1 this year, active taxi licences jumped to 12,957, up from 10,958 at the same point last year. Strikingly, half of these new licences are being granted to applicants from outside the wider Liverpool City Region.

To keep up, the council has radically increased its testing capacity, offering 4,109 knowledge tests over the past year compared to just 1,165 in 2024/5.

While the pass rate sits at 58%, nearly 1,000 applicants failed to show up for their exams. Because the £50 application fee is non-refundable, this attendance drop-off has provided an unexpected financial boost. Committee chair Cllr John Kelly observed, “We’ve actually made a few bob out of that then, haven’t we?”

This influx of fees has left the local authority’s reserve fund looking "fairly healthy," and extra staff are now being recruited to handle the paperwork.

However, the boom has also prompted stricter oversight. Since February, Sefton’s enforcement team has inspected 205 vehicles during operations at Liverpool Airport, Manchester Airport, and Manchester Piccadilly.

These checks revealed that 40% of the vehicles had defects, resulting in immediate suspension or defect notices.


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