Taxi drivers who had been stripped of their licences to operate by Wolverhampton council after being accused of threatening public safety and suspicion of serious sexual offences, simply applied for licences from other authorities.
There are even reports of child sexual exploitation among the allegations made against the Wolverhampton taxi drivers who whilst being licensed in Wolverhampton, operate in other authorities across England.
The problem originates from taxi drivers who “shopping around” to find the easiest way to obtain a licence.
The current regulations mean a taxi driver who has previously lost their licence for not being fit and proper can simply apply somewhere else and get a new licence, providing they lie about having previously held one.
Professor Rod Thompson, Director of Public Health at Shropshire Council said:
“Public safety is being threatened and environmental aspirations diluted in cases where drivers and vehicle proprietors 'shop around' to be licensed by local authorities that demand lower standards and then exclusively or predominantly work in an area or areas where standards are higher and licences more difficult to obtain”.
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Professor Thompson has also reportedly backed plans for a government review into licensing, saying it should bring the current regime up-to-date and make it fit for the 21st Century.
Whilst Wolverhampton council said it stripped licences from suspects immediately, the government said it was tightening taxi safety guidelines and considering stopping drivers from operating hundreds of miles away from where they were licensed.
City of Wolverhampton Council has increased the number of licences it issues eightfold since the Deregulation Act 2015 was introduced, meaning drivers no longer needed to live or work in the area of the local authority that granted them a licence.
The situation has led to a chaotic picture emerging around the country, with authorities unable to control all cabbies working in their area.
Some taxi and cab drivers have staged go-slow protests against the current regulations around the country, saying they leave the public at risk.
The Duchess of Cornwall hosted a charity event on Thursday 15th February 2019 for the London Taxi Drivers’ Charity for Children at Buckingham Palace, where she recalled on one occasion being asked by a cab driver what she thought about herself!
The Duchess arrived at the palace in a low emissions Bentley taxi, before posing for photographs with six London taxis parked in the inner courtyard as well as some of the cab drivers who are part of the charity.
The London Taxi Drivers’ Charity for Children was founded in 1928, when Mick Cohen, a cab driver from Norwood Orphanage, recruited 12 drivers to organise an outing for the children and raise money for the home. Nowadays, the charity organises exciting outings to the seaside and events for people with special needs and disadvantaged children, including trips to the theatre and Christmas parties.
During the reception, Camila, patron of the organisation since 2010, expressed how proud she was to be patron of such a wonderful organisation and she thanked them for all the good work they had done.
The future Queen of England also shared a story that happened long before her marriage to Prince Charles, when a London black cab driver once asked her what she thought of “Camilla”, without realising who the passenger actually was.
She told the Buckingham Palace reception: “I was very pleased to ride in a taxi here today, I have not had a ride in a taxi for a very long time. ”
She said she loved riding in taxis before her marriage to the Prince of Wales, because drivers will always tell you exactly what’s happening.