Written evidence submitted by Jason Kauder (TPV0071)

I am a supplier  to local authorities supplying school runs within a 1 hour travel of our base  , we cover an area that has approximately 25 different licencing areas each with its own “peculiarities” which make no sense .

I am submitting evidence as I feel very strongly that the DFT introduced best practice guidelines to the industry that were not adopted by local authorities and in most cases just ignored.

1. Do current licensing arrangements and tools enable local authorities to effectively regulate and oversee the taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) sector across England, in terms of safety, accessibility and quality of service? If not, what improvements could be made?

Each council makes it own standards, it is impossible for the lay person to distinguish between the different councils , each council has its own livery requirement with some areas demanding plates, and roof signs and some areas saying none

Its quite easy to confuse a taxi from a different area when it is working out of area , as it always has the word “taxi” on it

2. What is the impact on the travelling public and drivers of variation between licensing authorities? Is reform needed to bring greater standardisation?

The DFT recently published guidelines , to the licencing trade , most councils , cherry picked the parts they wanted , and ignored the stuff they didn’t .

I felt that these guidelines would increase public safety , by having all vehicles on the same standards

3. What would be the practical implications for licensing authorities and operators of more stringent or standardised licensing conditions in respect of safety, accessibility, vehicles and driver conduct?

Standardised licencing conditions , would make it easier for all operators and the public to correctly identify  vehicle , each vehicle in the uk has unique identifier attached , these details should be communicated by the private hire operator at the time of booking ( vehicle registration number) .  Vehicle should meet the current euro standard

4. What steps should the Government take to address the challenges posed by cross-border licensing in the taxi and PHV sector?

A Taxi driver can take bookings in the street , the taxi must as soon as it becomes empty travel back to its area to continue working . you cannot hail a taxi that is not licenced in your area , these taxi should not be working in any areas regularly if they are not licenced in this area.

Private hire companies have always had the right to operate anywhere they like, we can operate nationally and locally . some companies and bases think they bought the rights to “turf or area’s” this is not correct

As a private hire operator , I have always had the right to operate in any area of the country . I was not assigned an area or “my turf”

5. What would effective reform look like in terms of enforcement, passenger safety and safeguarding, and regulatory consistency? Is there a role for regional transport

authorities?

There is a role for transport authorities and nationalised standards as with the HGV and PSV market , this seems quite effective and has been working very well for a very long time. Bringing in drivers hours and standards across the board would be very helpful for all those involved .

6. How are digital ride-hailing platforms impacting standards in the sector, and is further regulation in this area required?

Times are changing and we are moving more to app and ai ( you can use ai on your phone to help you choose clothes ) the standards will change , I feel that a certain generation favours face to face , yet this is being replaced with ai and apps

I would favour a ride hail ombudsman

7. How effective, accessible, and trusted are complaints and incident reporting systems in the taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) sector, for both passengers and drivers?

All matters should be reported direct to the police , this should be done on a national level. It is too complicated to report incidents to companies or authorities

8. How effective is the National Register for Revocations, Refusals and Suspensions (NR3S). in supporting consistent licensing decisions across local authorities? What barriers, if any, are limiting its use or impact?

Endorsements should be placed on a drivers DVLA issued licence, this would automatically show all people they are banned from working in the PHV area  as you can easily be banned from driving a PHV , yet can go and drive a community minibus , volunteer car or PSV

9. What are the implications for taxi and PHV licensing of the future rollout of autonomous vehicles?

I would like to see how these autonomous vehicles work for bus services first , as these would be on a set route , and easier to operate.

September 2025