Greater Manchester Minimum Licensing Standards for taxi and private hire vehicles

Overview

Taxis and private hire services are a crucial part of our transport network. They provide an important service, particularly for those without access to a car, and people who don’t live or work near other parts of the public transport network. 

We want to see taxi and private hire services in Greater Manchester deliver a safer, high-quality experience for everyone, every time, using vehicles that meet high environmental standards.

That’s why Greater Manchester’s 10 local councils, supported by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), have worked to develop a proposed set of common, minimum standards for services licensed in Greater Manchester. 

Why your views matter

Greater Manchester’s proposed taxi and private hire Minimum Licensing Standards are designed to make services safer and more customer-focused, with high environmental and accessibility standards. 

They are intended to give peace of mind to every customer that the vehicle, driver and operators have been checked to a high standard. 

The consultation asks for your feedback on the proposed set of minimum licensing standards which will help deliver a shared vision for taxi and private hire services in Greater Manchester. This consultation will be the first of its kind and we’d like passengers, taxi and private hire drivers and operators to give their views.

The proposed Minimum Licensing Standards focus on four areas:

• Drivers
• Vehicles
• Operators
• Local authorities

What happens next

The feedback and evidence received is now being considered, so that we can understand and mitigate where possible the uncertain economic consequences the coronavirus pandemic has had on taxi and private hire drivers and operators who would be affected by the Minimum Licensing Standards proposals.

We will also undertake the subsequent equalities, air quality and emissions impact assessments, which will be vital to inform future decisions on the final standards. The timeline for bringing a final set of Minimum Licensing Standards for approval by Greater Manchester’s 10 local authorities will be confirmed in the near future.

We’ll continue to liaise with the trade, whose input will be taken into account in the development of implementation timescales for the standards.

All information relating to this consultation can be found at https://www.gmtaxistandards.com/