The government has partially accepted a Transport Committee recommendation that national minimum standards for taxis and private hire vehicles must not become “low by default”.
The Committee published the government’s response to its report on taxi and private hire vehicle licensing on 20 October 2026. Its original report, published in June, raised concerns about fragmented regulation and significant differences between licensing areas.
National safety requirements planned
The government said core safety and safeguarding requirements would be set nationally. However, it also intends to allow licensing authorities some flexibility to reflect local circumstances and policy priorities.
“We recognise the Committee’s concern that standards set too low, or with excessive scope for local variation, could perpetuate the incentives for licence shopping and undermine confidence in the regulatory framework,” the government response stated.
The government announced in November 2025 that it would legislate for national minimum standards. The move followed calls from parts of the taxi and private hire vehicle sector for tougher, absolute national standards rather than a minimum framework with local variation.
Concerns over out-of-area working
The response accepted some of the Committee’s other recommendations, including those concerning comparisons of licensing models, ‘fit and proper’ guidance and consultation on CCTV. Other recommendations were rejected or only partially accepted.
The government plans to publish a draft bill on taxi and private hire vehicle regulation during the current parliamentary session.
Transport Committee chair Ruth Cadbury MP said the Committee wanted to see the detail of the proposals and urged ministers to address the effects of large-scale out-of-area working.
“We particularly urge the government to pay heed to our conclusions about the problems large-scale out of area working can cause for local accountability and public confidence, and to come up with a plan to address these,” she said.