Figures show one local authority dominates taxi licensing across England, with nearly half of private hire vehicles working in Greater Manchester now licensed ‘out of area’.

The city-region’s out of area figure of more than 12,000 has risen sharply from just under 7,000 in 2023.

Having brought buses under local control in January as part of the Bee Network, Mayor Burnham has now called for radical change to give England’s mayors and city-regions more control of private hire vehicles.

Launching a new campaign ‘Backing our taxis: Local. Licensed. Trusted.’ in Manchester city centre, he outlined the call for the government’s English Devolution Bill to both devolve power on taxis to Mayoral Combined Authorities and put a stop to ‘out of area’ licensing.

Such a legal change would tackle a problem affecting many regions.

Flexibility in licensing laws means vehicle owners are not required to obtain a licence from the local authority where they operate - severing the link between taxi drivers and local communities, through accountability to councils.

Mayor Burnham says such local accountability is critical to ensure public safety and trust in taxis as an essential part of the transport system.

He says the move would not only help drive up standards, but also better support the livelihoods of Greater Manchester’s taxi drivers through control of numbers and better incentivisation.

Greater Manchester kickstarts a 12-week review of its own approach to licensing, working with the taxi trade to get under the bonnet of issues affecting locally-licensed drivers.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “Taxis are a crucial part of our transport network. Just as we set out to with Bee Network buses, we want our taxi fleet to be amongst the safest and most trusted in the country. But we can’t do this with the current broken licensing system. Local leaders have zero oversight over nearly half the private hire vehicles on our streets, with no relationship with the drivers, no levers to enforce the standards we want and no control over the numbers of taxis serving our communities.

“We want to guarantee our residents that if they’re getting in a Greater Manchester taxi – no matter how they book it – it’s one that meets high standards we expect across all public transport. To do that, we need national change in the English Devolution Bill to both devolve taxi powers to city-regions and stop the ability for vehicles and drivers licensed in non-GM authorities to operate here. Such a change will give political leaders more control over measures that impact public safety, vehicle standards, emissions and accessibility.

“But this is as much about making Greater Manchester the best place to be a taxi driver – and safeguarding the livelihoods of our cab drivers – as it is about passengers. They’ve been under immense pressure over the last few years, and we want to get behind them.

“We’re today kickstarting in-depth discussions with the trade. We want to get under the bonnet of the issues that affect them, review how we can improve our own licensing and incentivise them to register here without dropping standards. We’re committed to doing what we can under the current system, but it will only be effective if it’s done in lockstep with change on out of area licensing at a national level.”

As well as greater devolution on the issue, the ‘Backing our taxis’ campaign also calls on the government to support drivers to make the switch to greener, more accessible vehicles easier, with recommendations to extend the VAT exemption to new wheelchair accessible taxis; extend the national Plug-In Taxi Grant for electric vehicles; and reduce the rate of VAT on public electric vehicle charging.

Mayor Burnham has also announced a review of Greater Manchester’s current approach to licensing, supported by a 12-week period of engagement with the taxi trade. It was kick-started today (16 April) with a roundtable with key trade representatives. The period will involve online questionnaires, in-person surveys with drivers and in-depth interviews with both trade representatives and those involved in local licensing.

Earlier this year, Greater Manchester agreed an investment-led Clean Air Plan with government to tackle air quality and cut emissions without the need for a charging zone. The 12-week discussions with the taxi trade will include how best to allocate an £8 million fund for drivers of Hackneys carriages (or black cabs), which formed part of the Clean Air Plan deal. Greater Manchester will also explore how private hire vehicles can also be supported to make the switch to modern vehicles, potentially through subsidised, low interest loans.

It has also been confirmed that leaders of Greater Manchester’s ten local authorities have endorsed proposals to give drivers more time to upgrade their vehicles, extending the emission compliance date from the end of 2025 to at least 31 December 2026*.

Whilst the decision will be down to individual licensing committees to consider and agree proposals, leaders have backed the extension, as well as an exemption for vehicles until the maximum age limit (as part of existing licence agreements with individual drivers).

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Lyft, Inc. (Nasdaq: LYFT), a leading ride hailing marketplace, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire FREENOW, a leading European multi-mobility app with a taxi offering at its core, from BMW Group and Mercedes-Benz Mobility for approximately €175 million or $197 million* in cash.

FREENOW will continue operating as it does today, with its leadership team and employees in place to drive growth across 9 countries and over 150 cities across Ireland, the United Kingdom, Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, Poland, France, and Austria.

The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2025, subject to customary closing conditions.

“We’re on an ambitious path to build the best, most customer-obsessed mobility platform in the world, and entering Europe is an important step in our growth journey,” said David Risher, CEO of Lyft.

“We found the perfect partner in FREENOW and can learn a lot from the team. FREENOW's local-first approach mirrors Lyft's values and embodies our purpose — to serve and connect.”

FREENOW brings market-leading European taxi expertise, fleet technology and strong relationships with regulators, unions and taxi fleet operators in every market. Lyft brings best-in-class marketplace expertise and customer-obsessed features. The business models are complementary and together will serve over 50 million combined annual riders, with plans to deliver a better product experience, improve service levels, strengthen fleet management capabilities, and bring greater global opportunities to existing and potential partners.

In Europe, the taxi aggregation business is strong and growing. Approximately 50% of taxi bookings in Europe still happen offline, but customers are hungry for more online bookings.

FREENOW is primed to capitalise on that opportunity. FREENOW is the leading taxi platform in several major European cities, including Dublin, London, Athens, Berlin, Barcelona, Madrid, and Hamburg, with luxury vehicles making up a significant portion of its fleet. Taxis accounted for approximately 90% of FREENOW’s Gross Bookings in 2024 and will continue to be the backbone of FREENOW’s business.

“Joining forces with Lyft is a powerful step forward for FREENOW and marks the beginning of an ambitious new phase—one where we strengthen our role as a leading force in European mobility,” said FREENOW CEO Thomas Zimmermann.

“Lyft's strong, customer-first track record aligns perfectly with our deep roots in the taxi industry, and together we will push boundaries and raise expectations for fleet owners, taxi drivers, and riders across the continent. We stand with the industry—not above it—and remain proud partners of the community. This collaboration is about combining our strengths, learning from each other, and scaling what works best. We sincerely thank our former shareholders for their trust and enduring partnership throughout the years.”

The strategic acquisition is aligned with Lyft’s disciplined capital allocation strategy of investing in attractive growth opportunities with a customer-obsessed bias. The announcement follows a record-breaking year in 2024 for Lyft, with industry-leading service levels in Q4, record Gross Bookings, GAAP profitability, and record cash flow generation.

WHAT'S NEXT:

While there will be no immediate changes to FREENOW’s customer experience, over time, new benefits will be made available to FREENOW drivers and riders. For drivers in many markets, that may look like more transparency around their earnings such as when to expect incentives and real-time information on the best times to drive. For riders, that may look like more consistent pricing, faster matching, and new features and modes. The companies will also focus on integration for riders to seamlessly use either app across the Atlantic, whether they’re in North America or Europe.

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A man with a history of knife offences has been arrested after police discovered a 30-inch machete concealed in his waistband during a stop and search of a taxi near Kidbrooke, south east London.

The incident occurred on Thursday, 10 April, and marks the sixth time the suspect has been apprehended for alleged or actual knife-related offences in the past year, according to authorities.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police's Uniformed Proactive Team 2, described as "eagle-eyed" by a spokesperson, identified the individual, who was known to them as a previous knife offender, travelling in a taxi.

A subsequent stop and search allegedly revealed the large knife, described as a 30-inch machete with a red and black sheath and curved hand guard, tucked into his waistband.

The Metropolitan Police spokesperson emphasised the proactive nature of the arrest, stating: "On 10 April, eagle-eyed officers from Uniformed Proactive Team 2 spotted a known knife carrier in a taxi near Kidbrooke. He was stopped, searched - and found with a 30-inch machete in his waistband. That’s his sixth knife arrest in 12 months.”

The arrest underscores ongoing concerns about knife crime in London and highlights the efforts of police to target known offenders. Further details regarding the suspect's identity and any charges filed have yet to be released.

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Fees for taxi drivers operating in Barnsley are set to climb next year for the first time since 2014.

Single drivers currently pay either £137 for one year or £221 for three years, but under new plans this will rise to £150 or £240 respectively.

Operators’ fees have also been revealed, with firms whose fleets are between 11 and 50 vehicles having to pay £664, 51 to 100 vehicles to pay £1,993, 101 to 250 vehicles to pay £4,650 and those with more facing a £6,643 cost for a year’s licence.

A report, which was discussed by Barnsley MBC licensing board members on Tuesday 15 April, said: “A review of vehicle licence fees has not been carried out since 2014.

“Fees have been calculated to accurately reflect costs following changes to working practices and increases in staffing costs since the current fees were adopted.”

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A taxi driver has lost his licence after South Cambridgeshire District Council successfully defended his appeal in court.

Kambiz Akhondi, 59, from Soham, appeared before Peterborough Magistrates who determined he was not a fit and proper person to hold a private hire licence.

Mr Akhondi’s appeal against the council was dismissed and the council was awarded £1,182 in costs.

Mr Akhondi first appeared before the council’s Licensing Sub Committee in August 2024 after an application to renew his private hire driver licence was refused as he had not made the council aware of three DVLA speeding endorsements he had received between 2021 and 2022 - which was a condition of his licence.

He appealed the decision to the district council’s Licensing Sub Committee where the panel approved the refusal to grant renewal of his private hire driver licence.

Mr Akhondi then appealed the council’s decision in a hearing which took place at Peterborough Magistrates Court on 10 April.

Rob Lewis, Service Manager for Licensing at South Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “The safety of the public is our highest priority, and we expect all licensed drivers to meet the standards required of them.

"Failing to disclose penalty points is a serious matter, as transparency and trust are fundamental to the licensing system.

"The decision to refuse this licence, and the dismissal of the subsequent appeal, sends a clear message - those who do not fully comply with the rules and fail to disclose penalty points will face serious consequences.”

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