
Taxi licensing in Redditch is under scrutiny after Redditch Borough Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee held a special hearing at 10:30am on Wednesday, 14 October.
The council is currently consulting residents and taxi drivers on proposals to raise the maximum permitted age of vehicles renewing their licences, allowing older cars to stay on the road longer.
Under the current policy, vehicles that exceed standard age limits are reviewed individually, with input from licensing officers and a qualified vehicle engineer.
Council documents show that between February 2023 and February 2026, 95 applications for vehicles exceeding the age limit were considered, with only nine refused and 86 approved.
The review follows comparisons with neighbouring authorities, which revealed significant differences in how vehicle age restrictions are applied across the region.
Additionally, discussions have taken place regarding licensing fees after the Redditch Taxi Association and operator A2B Taxis raised objections to a proposed three per cent increase in hackney carriage and private hire charges for 2026/27, which officers stated was designed strictly to recover service costs.
Members of the public and taxi operators seeking further details about the proposed changes can visit the taxi and private hire section of the council's website at www.redditchbc.gov.uk.

A cabbie received a £300 fine following a fixed penalty notice after CCTV footage showed him driving a Norwich woman to Bowers Avenue to dump rubbish.

Annual spending has steadily increased from £7.4 million in 2021/22 and £7.9 million in 2022/23, to £7.8 million in 2023/24, £9.2 million in 2024/25, and £10.3 million in 2025/26.

The review, which is the first since April 2024, aims to strengthen passenger safety while simplifying requirements for the trade following feedback from drivers and operators.

Emma Richards, of Litherland, sobbed and fell to the floor despite being given an 18-month community order and a six-month alcohol abstinence requirement.

Gregor Thomson was captured on dash-cam footage holding up the cab driver following a late-night pick-up in Falkirk, Stirlingshire, on 5 May.

The situation is made worse by local authority regulations, which have left the maximum fares that hackney carriage taxis can charge unchanged for the last four years.

Drivers belonging to the IWGB Union showed up at TfL’s annual Transport Dinner this evening to call on Sadiq Khan to stop the rollout of driverless cars in London 

Hasan Saghir, 26, travelled 220 miles from his home to Shepton Mallet in Somerset on 6 February to collect the package, using his cab to blend in and evade detection.

The initiative aims to strike a balance between running costs for taxi operators and affordability for local passengers.

Thirty licensed vehicles were pulled over and inspected during the multi-agency crackdown involving Walsall Council, City of Wolverhampton Council and West Midlands Police.

The taxi driver immediately recognised the note was fake due to the way it felt in his hands. When questioned, the passenger handed over further notes which were also fake.

Partnering with tech firms Verne and Pony.ai, Uber announced the news on 14 October, following the launch of Europe’s first robotaxi service on the Uber app in Zagreb in August.

The decision followed an application from the Boston HCA, which warned price hikes were vital to keep businesses afloat amid rising fuel prices, staffing costs and insurance premiums.

The service is now live across key areas where FonaCAB operates, including Belfast, Lisburn, Newtownabbey, Carrickfergus, Craigavon, and Banbridge.

Deputy Samantha Gleave, had raised concerns over whether current rules could be simplified to reduce costs, improve flexibility, boost the night-time economy and increase service availability.

The proposed rules mark a shift away from traditional vehicle age limits towards emissions-based standards, aligning with Department for Transport guidance.

Operating as part of the official taxi and private hire service for Norwich Airport, the high-end vehicle is now in full-time service and available for executive hire on request.

Dilshad Ahmed, from Longton, committed the offence on 26 December 2025 at a temporary match day taxi pick-up point at Trentham Lakes.

Gary Bohanna, 51, launched the unprovoked attack on driver Emmanuel Okinlola after being picked up from a Kirkdale pub on the afternoon of 15 December last year. 

The council’s Director of Place, Jon Dyson, presented a report outlining why the local authority considered the unnamed applicant not to be a "fit and proper person" to hold a driver's licence.
