The Licensing (Public Protection) Committee met on Tuesday 18 November 2025, noting the annual review of Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing for 2024/25, which highlighted increases in licensed drivers, hackney carriage vehicles and private hire operators, alongside a decrease in private hire vehicles. The committee also acknowledged the high volume of complaints received, predominantly related to driver behaviour, driving standards and parking issues.

Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Annual Review

The committee reviewed the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Annual Review 2024/25, covering 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025. Joanne Bowles, Senior Licensing Officer, presented the report, which provided an overview of licensing statistics, enforcement activities, and upcoming matters affecting the service.

As of 30 September 2025, Buckinghamshire Council had:

• 3,460 licensed drivers, a 2.7% increase from the previous year
• 2,466 licensed vehicles, a 0.4% decrease from the previous year, broken down into:
  • 334 Hackney Carriage vehicles (3.1% increase)
  • 1,988 Private Hire vehicles (1.2% decrease)
  • 144 Private Hire Executive vehicles (2.9% increase)
• 218 licensed private hire vehicle operators (4.3% increase from last year)

The report noted that the average processing time for a valid vehicle application was five working days, and for valid driver applications, it was four working days.

The committee noted that the decrease in private hire licensed vehicles was related to the number of licensed drivers whose licenses had been revoked during the same period, as vehicle licence holders are held to the same standards as drivers.

The report also provided a breakdown of the number of wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) licensed by the council. As of 30 September 2025, there were 322 WAVs, comprising 206 private hire vehicles and 112 hackney carriages, both figures representing an increase from the previous year. The taxi licensing team is currently examining this area as part of its policy review.

The report detailed application outcomes, with the number of licences granted remaining broadly stable with minor fluctuations. Vehicle licence renewals accounted for 68% of all applications. Two vehicle licences were refused because they were identified as insurance category S vehicles¹, which are not licensed in accordance with council policy. 154 applications were rejected for non-payment, an automated process if applications remain unpaid 24 hours after submission.

Between 1 October 2024 and 30 September 2025, the council approved 1,095 applications for hackney carriage and private hire driver licenses, with 59.6% of these applications being renewals. Forty-seven applications for hackney carriage and private hire licenses were refused, a decrease from 53 in the same period last year. Most refusals (79%) were for new applicants, with reasons including criminal behaviour, motoring offences, and dishonesty on applications. 108 driver applications were rejected due to payment not being made within 24 hours of application submission, a 28% decrease from last year.

During the reporting period, 35 operator licenses were granted, 26 for new operator licenses and nine renewals. No operator licence applications were refused.

The licensing service regulates taxi and private hire operations through proactive and reactive enforcement. Complaints and incident reports are received from the public, external agencies, and the taxi and private hire trade. 469 complaints were received between 1 October and 30 September. The most common complaints pertained to behaviour (387), followed by driving standard (272), parking (224), and vehicle condition (181). Of the 469 complaints, 322 investigations were carried out, and 147 were closed with no further action.

Sanctions for policy breaches ranged from advice and warnings to suspension, revocation, or refusal of renewal. Improvements in complaint reporting procedures and increased public awareness had contributed to the rise in complaints.

The licensing team carried out joint operations with South Oxfordshire, Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire, Thames Valley Police, and Transport for London (TfL). Activities included plying for hire operations, test purchases, vehicle/driver checks, and school visits. The team received positive feedback from schools and parents for proactive parking enforcement.

40 driver licences were revoked, up from 26 last year, mainly for criminal behaviour such as violence, sexual assault, drink or drug driving, and mobile phone use. These revocations represented 1.2% of licensed drivers. 50 vehicle licences were revoked, about half due to accident damage, and the remainder due to driver licence revocation.

If a licence holder or applicant was aggrieved by a decision to revoke or refuse a licence application, they had the right of appeal to the magistrate court. During the reporting period, five appeal hearings were concluded, all in the council's favour, with over £11,000 awarded in costs.

The report also detailed upcoming matters that may affect the service or trade:

• Policy review consultations – Feedback from the policy consultations, previously approved by the licensing committee on 18 July 2024, was currently under consideration, and a report detailing considerations and recommendations for the Licensing Public Protection Committee was being prepared.
• Automated Passenger Services (APS) Permitting Scheme – The new APS Permitting Scheme, introduced under the Automated Vehicles Act 2024[^3], creates a legal framework for self-driving passenger services, such as autonomous taxis and buses, to operate without a human driver. When an APS permit is granted, traditional taxi, private hire vehicle (PHV), and public service vehicle (PSV) licensing requirements do not apply. Local licensing authorities have an important role in approving APS deployments in their areas. The Department for Transport recently held a consultation on the draft regulations and practical implementation of the scheme, which closed in September 2025. The council submitted a response to this consultation.

A separate report was being prepared for consideration by the Licensing Committee later in the financial year with an update on the taxi licensing service's financial position.

Councillor Heather Wallace, Chair of the Committee thanked Joanne Bowles for her comprehensive report.

In response to questions, it was noted that the costs of defending an appeal in the Magistrates Court is approximately £2,500-£4,000 if conducted by lawyers in legal services. In cases where the council are successful in defending an appeal, a costs application is made to the Court to recover these costs. If granted by the Court, these are pursued as a civil debt.

A question was raised about how much it cost the council to investigate the 469 complaints referenced in the report. The officer responded that the specific information was not available, but a further report on the budget position and fee setting was due to be presented to the committee. Legislation allowed the council to recover the costs of compliance through licence fees, which were maintained at a level that was cost neutral to the council.

The committee resolved to note the contents of the report.