
East Suffolk Council is inviting views on minor proposed changes to the Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Specification, which helps ensure licensed vehicles are safe, suitable and meet the standards expected by passengers.
The proposed changes have been developed in consultation with the council's appointed testing garages. They include updates to clarify existing requirements, align the specification with current legislation, provide greater flexibility in vehicle seating layouts, and introduce requirements relating to vehicle safety recalls.
Whether you are a licence holder, regular taxi or private hire user, or simply have an interest in local licensing standards, we would welcome your feedback.
Your comments will help us understand the level of support for the proposals, identify any potential impacts, and consider whether any amendments are needed before the changes are considered by the Licensing Committee.
All comments received will be included in a report to the Licensing Committee in October 2026 and will form part of a public document.
The consultation, which can be found here: https://shorturl.at/LF8ke, is open for six weeks and closes on 21 September 2026.
Please send your comments to licensing@eastsuffolk.gov.uk.

The taxi fares review recommended the 25p addition as a short-term fix to help drivers manage spiking overheads, as weell as other changes to the scales.

Campaigners have spoken out after experiencing discrimination and service failures in Cardiff, where the number of WAV taxis has plummeted from 475 in 2010 to just 168 today.

The driver stated: "he had previously received penalty points which had fallen away" and admitted "on several occasions" he failed to notify a different licensing authority about his points

Harry Chinkumbi, 34, targeted a 24-year-old and her friend in the early hours of 22 September 2024 after they stated they could not get a taxi home from Glasgow city centre.

Lewisham councillor and Disabled People's Champion, Maria McKenna, endured a gruelling hour-long journey in her electronic wheelchair, after waiting nearly two hours for a vehicle that never arrived.

During a private meeting held without the press or public present, officials examined the driver's application and heard oral evidence from both the applicant and a licensing officer.

Abdul Nabizada, 36, was today sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh after being found guilty of a horrific attack on a 19-year-old woman who had trusted him to take her home safely.

Mohammed Awais Alyas, director of Sheff Fleet Ltd, and a working driver himself, says that while vandalism has long been an issue, the hostility has taken a clear and alarming racial turn.

Taxi drivers in Calderdale are facing a clash over vehicle safety checks after a council meeting heard that a cab's handbrake completely failed just weeks after passing an MOT at a private garage.

The incident happened at Milton Keynes Central Station on 9 December 2025, when an enforcement officer approached a private hire vehicle as part of routine licensing checks.

Police investigating a public order incident have released an image of a man they would like to identify.

Drivers and fleet operators in the capital are currently enduring nine-month waiting times for vehicles from the LEVC, which remains the only available manufacturer for purpose-built London taxis.

The company says it will “not race to the bottom” on school transport contracts if doing so risks the financial sustainability of its drivers or the quality and reliability of the service.

Police are investigating an alleged racial abuse incident targeting a taxi driver in Warsash after three passengers were picked up in the Brook Avenue area.

Researchers found that the protective benefit comes from continuous real-time navigation rather than driving itself. 

Edward Howard, 28, from Shelf, Halifax, carried out the attack near Cleckheaton on November 10, 2025, after becoming heavily intoxicated following a night out in Leeds city centre.

Shak Rahman, 48, struck the victim as he crossed Percy Street after finishing work, throwing him into the air and onto the windscreen before he landed heavily on the road.

A Carlisle cabbie who was grabbed from behind and put in a headlock by a drunk passenger refusing to pay a £28 fare fought back by biting his attacker on the wrist. 

Dashcam manufacturer Nextbase released exclusive footage to ITV News highlighting these fraudulent schemes, where criminals intentionally cause collisions to exploit motor insurance policies.

While the initial phase will feature a licensed private hire driver behind the wheel rather than full automation, the decision has drawn swift criticism and caution from officials and unions alike.
