Manchester Mayor Burnham calls on Government to ban out-of-area licensing

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has again called for the government to end the practice of letting drivers operate outside the area where they are licensed.

Burnham has met key government ministers, including the transport secretary Heidi Alexander, to demand a change to the English Devolution Bill that would end the practice, introduced via the Deregulation Act of 2015.

Burnham claimed 49% of private hire vehicles in Greater Manchester were registered outside the area, mainly in Wolverhampton. 

Burnham said: “For too long, communities in Greater Manchester and across the country have been at the mercy of a broken taxi system that allows private hire vehicles and drivers to be licensed hundreds of miles away from where they live and operate. This is not just a matter of fairness for locally licensed drivers to protect their livelihoods – it’s a matter of public safety.”

He continued: “Greater Manchester has led the call for reform, and it’s great to see that being backed by our local MPs. With the government having already accepted Baroness Casey’s recommendation regarding out of area licensing – further reinforcing the urgent need for change – this Bill provides an opportunity for decisive action to be taken by the Government.“

Burnham said former Transport Secretary Louise Haigh had given “a firm commitment” to address the issue.

However, many Manchester drivers say they only get licensed in Wolverhampton because the service is cheaper and faster than local council services in Greater Manchester – where reports of delays of up to 10 months in getting licenses processed have been reported.

Professional Driver’s own research into the issue showed substantial savings from going to Wolverhampton. In 2024, a first-time license application in Wolverhampton cost £49 for one year or £98 for three years. compared to £255 in Greater Manchester for a three-year license. 

It cost between £222 and £342 to register a vehicle in Manchester, depending on its age. But Wolverhampton Council, only charges £95 to register a vehicle under 10 years old.

Wolverhampton also kicked back at Burnham’s insinuation that its standards were inferior to Manchester’s. In a statement, the council said: The Council stated: “We lead the way nationally on using technology to help with safeguarding, including being the only council to do daily DBS checks on all drivers and the first council to offer driver licence checks by smartphone.”

“We implement the government’s statutory standards and best practice guidance. We also have officers out across the country, every Friday and Saturday night, working to protect the public.”