Wolverhampton council officers to police taxis as far away as Coventry as hundreds come to the Black Country to get their licences issued
City council bosses have bowed down to pressure over a loophole in taxi licences which has seen it rake in thousands of pounds - agreeing to police taxis operating as far away as Coventry.
The agreement follows a meeting between the two city councils where it emerged 241 cabs licensed with Wolverhampton council actually operated in Coventry.
Under new legislation, private taxi licences can be applied for from any council and operate anywhere in the country.
It has seen applications to Wolverhampton council, where a knowledge test is not required, rocket.
Coventry City Council has said this was unfair.
In response, Wolverhampton council has said it will provide enforcement of its licensed taxis in the city.
It will mean Wolverhampton council officers being sent 35 miles to the city.
Cllr Alan Bolshaw, City of Wolverhampton Council’s cabinet member for licensing, said: “A schedule of joint compliance operations is being drawn up by officers for the next 12 months.
"The Coventry delegation also agreed that our compliance officers may undertake unaccompanied operations in Coventry, although prior notice should be given when possible.”
Last month it was revealed that 6,395 people were issued private hire licences by Wolverhampton council this year - but 5,319 live elsewhere.
This was up from less than 1,000 private hire licences issued in the whole of 2014.
The Deregulation Act 2015 means drivers can operate anywhere in the country, no matter where they get their licence.
Wolverhampton council says taxi drivers come to them for licences due to the quick turnaround - usually just a few weeks as part of an online application.
But critics say it is because it has dropped an exam testing understanding of the local road map.
Wolverhampton council charges £225 a year for a private hire licence
Councillor Bolshaw said: “City of Wolverhampton Council acknowledge that the black cab industry, so important to Coventry, is being deeply affected by changes in national legislation.
"Cross border working changes the way private hire vehicles can operate and this must be of grave concern to Coventry politicians and we empathise with their predicament.
“We would like to thank Coventry representatives for attending a meeting which both parties agreed was very productive.
“We agreed on many issues including the need for the robust training which includes English language skills, safeguarding, child sexual exploitation, disability, passenger safety amongst other topics.
"The Coventry delegation were reassured that the standards applied to Wolverhampton drivers were similar to those applied to Coventry drivers.
“One point where we differed was concerning local knowledge testing. We insist this is necessary for Hackney Carriage drivers who are on a metered fare and the driver is required to know the shortest route.
"This is not the same for private hire vehicles which offer a predetermined fare and where the use of sat navs, which is universal, has revolutionised the industry.
“The other big difference was the time taken to process applications. Coventry have an old fashioned paper-based, face to face system which takes months where as our state of the art digital system takes days due to the investment we have made."
