Rochdale Council plans to ban polluting taxis from the roads 

Old taxis pumping out too much pollution will soon be banned from the streets of Greater Manchester – but the councils can’t force this on every cabby. 

Rochdale council officers are the latest council to have approved plans to outlaw vehicles that don’t meet the Greater Manchester emissions standards by 31 December 2025. Diesel cars made before 2015 and petrol cars made before 2006 will no longer be allowed as taxis or private hire vehicles by the end of next year.

The aim of these changes is to reduce harmful roadside levels of nitrogen dioxide. 

For those unable to meet the new standards for financial reasons, a government fund of £30.5m is proposed to provide taxi upgrades.

 

 

However, councillors fear this change could have little impact on reducing emissions as a large number of private hire drivers, working for companies like Uber, are actually licensed with non-Greater Manchester authorities.

There is a long-standing problem with thousands of private hire vehicles being licensed by Wolverhampton Council in the city-region. Approximately 35 per cent of private hire taxi drivers in GM (around 9,000) are registered with Wolverhampton City Council, according to a Freedom of Information request.

Coun Shah Wazir, portfolio holder for highways, said: “We have a problem. There is a third party operating in our area in Wolverhampton Council. 

“We had a problem with Rossendale doing the same thing previously. They are not licensed by us so how do we make sure they are maintaining the emissions standards and keeping to the guidelines?”

The meeting of the council’s cabinet was told that Wolves-licensed drivers operating across the region is an issue and that Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is pushing the government to change legislation on this. The officer added that Wolverhampton does have emissions standards in place – meaning some of their vehicles would meet Greater Manchester M emissions standards.

Standards in the West Midlands authority say newly licensed cars can only be 12 years old and drivers renewing their licence can only have a car made as far back as 16 years ago.

Although the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) have an ambition to make sure every taxi and private hire vehicle in the region is licensed locally, they can’t enforce this. Currently, legislation allows licensed private hire drivers to operate anywhere in the country outside of London.

Andy Burnham has repeatedly stated he is confident more regulation will be brought in to curb the practice of out-of-area working. A spokesman for the GMCA previously said they are calling for a change in the law to clamp down on ‘out of town’ licensing.

There has been no movement so far on the issue by the Department for Transport.

A DfT spokesperson told the LDRS previously: “We are aware of the concerns around private hire vehicle licensing, including out-of-area working, and will be considering ways to support local authorities with the issue.”

A spokesperson for City of Wolverhampton Council previously said: “While City of Wolverhampton Council has never actively encouraged applications from drivers outside the city, existing legislation requires that if an application is submitted and requirements are met, then the application must be granted. The council may not refuse an applicant simply because they live in a different area.

“Applicants are usually local to the area they drive in, but many have chosen to be licensed in Wolverhampton due to our efficient, yet rigorous, licensing process.

"Public safety is of paramount importance to us. Partnership working with our licensing colleagues and other agencies shows our commitment to upholding our responsibilities; we expect drivers and vehicles licensed by us to always maintain the highest standards.

“This is irrespective of the administrative boundary within which they are operating at any particular time. The City of Wolverhampton Council takes its enforcement responsibilities seriously and our officers are out across the country, every Friday and Saturday night, working to protect the public.”

George Lythgoe, Local Democracy Reporter