The government must urgently implement Baroness Casey’s recommendations on ending cross border taxi hiring, drivers will tell MPs this Wednesday (25 February).

In June, the independent Casey review into group-based child sexual exploitation highlighted that inconsistent taxi and private hire licensing is putting women and children at risk and needs to be urgently reformed. Yet months on and despite the clear safeguarding concerns raised, comprehensive legislative reform has not yet been delivered by the government.

Unite is also concerned current plans by the Department for Transport to tackle the issue of out of area working have been watered down, as it has said it will not bring in a start or finish rule – a key demand from the union to end cross border hiring.

Unite members will lobby MPs at Parliament on Wednesday from 11am. This includes asking MPs to raise Parliamentary questions referencing the Casey review and out of area working, support legislative amendments that introduce national standards and local enforcement powers and press the secretary of state for transport Heidi Alexander to publish a clear timetable for taxi and private hire vehicles licensing reform.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "It is completely unacceptable that despite the Casey’s report laying bare the dangers of cross border hiring and the need for urgent action, the government has not closed the loophole.

“Instead of coming up with weak alternatives, the government must implement policies that will protect passengers and drivers. Unite will not stop campaigning until our demands are met.”

Cross border hiring happens when a private hire booking is accepted by an operator licensed in one local authority, but the journey itself is carried out in another local council area - well beyond the regulatory reach of the licensing authority.

At present, this is being exploited by some drivers. This leaves passengers with inconsistent safety standards depending on where the driver is licensed, causes local drivers who follow the rules to lose work to those operating out of area and leaves local authorities unable to enforce rules or safety standards on drivers working in the area.

While the secretary of state for transport Heidi Alexander has committed to some reforms, Unite believe these do not go far enough.

The union has three key demands, which the DfT currently says it has no plans to implement. They are:

• The implementation of a start or finish rule. This requires every private hire journey to begin or end in the driver’s licensed area

• Introducing national standards including for driver vetting, safeguarding and training

• Stronger enforcement such as allowing local authorities to act against any driver or operator working within their boundaries.

Without meaningful legislative change, Unite believes local authorities will continue to lose control over passenger safety standards and the regulatory system will continue to favour large operators over local workers and communities.

Unite national officer for passenger transport Wayne King said: "There is overwhelming evidence that out of area taxi and private hire working is leaving both passengers and drivers at risk.

"Casey’s recommendations must be actioned. Heidi Alexander can close a loophole that will give vulnerable women and children greater protection from sexual exploitation.

“The start or finish rule is an essential part of this. The government needs to implement this urgently and Unite will keep fighting for this to be put in place.”

 ENDS

Notes to editors Unite’s demands are designed to restore regulatory coherence and fairness across England. They include:

• National standards for driver vetting, safeguarding, vehicle safety, and operator conduct.

• A start or finish rule – requiring every private hire journey to begin or end in the driver’s licensed area (with sensible exceptions such as NHS and school transport)

• Cross-border enforcement powers – allowing local authorities to act against any driver or operator working within their boundaries

• Stronger sanctions for repeated breaches and unlawful operating practices

• Retention of Enforcement Revenue by the authority carrying out enforcement to properly resource compliance.

Taxi drivers are available for interview at Parliament on Wednesday. Please get in touch to arrange.

Case study - Clare Johnson, taxi driver from Swansea

Clare said: "Cross border licensing causes a lot of problems, but the most pressing issue for me is safety. It is really worrying that people can order a taxi from one of the big operators or get into a cab and it isn't from the area.

"In Swansea, vehicles such as mine that are licensed to be operated there can be stopped and checked at any point on the road to make sure they are compliant and even to make sure the driver matches their ID. But if a car is licensed in another area, this can't happen. If councils don't have this authority to check these vehicles, it can be really dangerous - there is so much evidence out there that bad drivers are exploiting this loophole for criminality.

"I've got a daughter in her 20s who likes to go out and it worries me that she will get into one of these taxis and something could happen. There is no traceability. I've seen a lot of vehicles operating without the Swansea licenses and I've raised it with the Council but nothing is done.

"One female customer told me a taxi driver from a different area had come to her door a few days after taking her home in his cab to ask her out on a date, which made her feel very uncomfortable. While nothing else happened, this could have been a very dangerous situation, he could have done something to her in the car. Customers need to be aware of the dangers.

"I can't understand why the government is not doing anything about this situation. It doesn't make any sense - to me this is a no-brainer but it doesn't feel like they are listening to drivers. You wonder how many tragedies have to happen before things will change."

 For media enquiries ONLY please contact Unite press officer Natasha Wynarczyk on 07970081524

 Email: natasha.wynarczyk@unitetheunion.org