
Licensing officers from South Gloucestershire Council teamed up with police and multi-agency teams from Bristol, Wolverhampton, Newport, and Tewkesbury for a major cross-border operation to inspect taxis and private hire vehicles.
Conducted on the morning of August 12, the initiative focused on checking vehicles and drivers crossing local authority boundaries to ensure maximum passenger safety.
During the sweep, authorities stopped and evaluated a total of 108 licensed vehicles and drivers originating from 26 different licensing areas, examining vehicle conditions, documentation, and regulatory compliance.
While two immediate stop notices were issued to halt unsafe vehicles from operating until faults are fixed, officials reported overwhelmingly high compliance overall.
Highlighting the importance of these multi-agency checks, Councillor John Bradbury, cabinet member responsible for licensing at South Gloucestershire Council, stated: “Licensed taxi and private hire drivers play an important role in helping residents and visitors travel safely around our communities.”
He added: “Operations such as this allow the council and the police to work together to ensure that vehicles and drivers meet the standards expected of them and that passenger safety remains a priority.
"It is particularly pleasing that the vast majority of drivers and vehicles checked were fully compliant, demonstrating the professionalism of the licensed trade across the region.”

Sana Majeed, 28, initially entered a not guilty plea at Blackburn Magistrates' Court before changing his plea to guilty for driving while over the limit for benzoylecgonine.

Laura Hegart, 50, and her 26-year-old daughter had ordered a Renfrewshire Cab outside Whisky Joe's Bar at around 9pm on January 27 when they noticed two men inside the vehicle.

Jordan Hammond, 34, was jailed for four years at Newcastle Crown Court after admitting to causing grievous bodily harm with a one-year extended licence period.

A special meeting of the Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council General Licensing committee is set to review a consultation report that examines several ways to adjust pricing to help the trade cope with rising expenses.

Kolawole Erunkulu, 45, from Bexleyheath, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving after his Audi swerved into a layby on the A23 in Merstham and struck 59-year-old Philip Dray on August 17, 2025.

Christina Calderato, TfL’s director of strategy, recently told the London assembly’s transport committee that the transit authority would not be ready to accept applications “for some time.”

The Executive Committee will review the recommendation on September 2, and if approved, the revised policy will take effect on September 28. 

The vehicle, belonging to local firm Tacsi Zoe, was stolen from Holyhead on Monday evening, August 24.

The local licensing manager has deemed the proposed increase reasonable due to rising fuel costs and the length of time since the last fare review in 2022.

Neil McLennan, owner of iCars, was told by a licensing officer that the displays violated council advertising policies.

Gary Taylor, a 20-year-old veteran of the capital's taxi trade, received the penalty after dropping off the passenger at 10.30pm in the Brentford Lock area.

Robert Hooper, 51, targeted the 49-year-old cabbie on Queen Anne Street after spending the day begging on the streets.

Liam O’Leary, 46, (left) from Lincoln was jailed for 3 years and 4 months and Shane McHale, 23, also from Lincoln was jailed for 3 years and 2 months.

The incident happened at about 11.30pm on August 16 at the taxi rank on Court Square Brow, next to Carlisle Railway Station.

A Leeds private hire driver has been banned from the road for three years and stripped of his licence after nearly colliding with a police car while using a mobile phone at the wheel.

According to Department for Transport statistics from April 2026, this equates to a mere 0.6 vehicles for every 1,000 residents, placing the district among the areas most vulnerable to becoming a rural taxi desert.

The North Tyneside Hackney Carriage Association wants fares adjusted so that a typical three-mile journey would average £5.52.

Merseyside Police rushed to Rice Hey Road in Egremont at 4.10pm on Sunday, August 23, after receiving reports that a delivery worker in his 30s had suffered face and head injuries.

Paul Best, a 62-year-old chauffeur who runs Best Exec cars and works as a mayor's chauffeur, was driving for Fleetline in his taxi on Thursday morning, 20 August.

Stuart Halliday, 44, appeared at Worcester Magistrates’ Court on 20 August, facing charges including assault by beating against cabbie Azanuhr Rahman. The attack took place in Wychbold on 9 May 2025.
