Government questioned on taxi and private hire vehicle licence database

A recent parliamentary question has drawn attention to how effectively the national taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) licensing database is operating, after an MP asked the Government to clarify its status and use. The exchange focused on whether all licensing authorities are consistently using the system to prevent drivers with suspended or revoked licences from obtaining new ones elsewhere.

The minister’s written answer stated that a national database has been mandatory for all licensing authorities in England since 2023, created under the Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Safeguarding and Road Safety) Act 2022. Its purpose is to ensure that information about drivers who have been refused, suspended, or had licences revoked—particularly for safeguarding or road‑safety reasons—is shared across local authority boundaries. This is intended to stop drivers barred in one area from simply reapplying in another, a long‑standing concern in the sector.

Although the Government emphasised that the system is already in place, the parliamentary question highlights ongoing scrutiny of how consistently it is being used. MPs have raised similar issues in recent years, arguing that uneven licensing standards and fragmented enforcement can undermine passenger safety. The debate also sits alongside wider discussions about potential reforms to taxi and PHV licensing, including whether responsibilities should be consolidated at a regional or national level.