Wolverhampton taxi row: 2,000 expected to apply to become cabbies by end of year

Now angry drivers are threatening strike action against Wolverhampton council.

Earlier this year it was revealed that the number of private hire drivers in the city had shot up from 858 in July last year to 1,323 this year, as cabbies from Birmingham and other areas flooded the market and took advantage of restrictions being removed by the local authority.

At the last licensing committee meeting it was revealed the council was expecting to receive 'in the region of 2,000' additional applications by the end of this year.

Raheel Shah, from Wolverhampton Private Hire Association, said: "As a union we are not happy. It's all well and good giving licences out but where are these people going to find the work? There are already too many drivers in Wolverhampton.

"The standards are too low for drivers to get a licence and the people of Wolverhampton are suffering because of it.

"The council do not care about the people, they just care about making money. It's not fair on the drivers either. How can they deliver the best service if they are so stressed?"

The increase in drivers in the region, which equates to almost 60 per cent compared to last year, could be attributed to restrictions being removed by the city council.

An exam familiarly known in the trade as The Knowledge, which tests drivers' understanding about the local road map, and a practical skills test, were dropped by the authority in response to government changes in policy. Now a simpler test is done by prospective cabbies.

Mr Shah said: "There is no space for anymore drivers. There must be 1,500 already. A lot of them don't even know the area because they have come in from elsewhere and are not taking their tests.

"Drivers aren't required to take the proper tests here, yet in other areas they must. Without the proper knowledge of the roads in Wolverhampton, the customers are going to get a rubbish service.

"As a union we are against any more drivers being taken on. We may have to consider a strike against the council."

Councillor Alan Bolshaw, chair of the council's licensing committee, said: "There may be a lot of applicants but I'd imagine only a handful will be granted licences.

"I can understand drivers might be alarmed. Under the new laws, people can apply for taxi licences from anywhere in the country. But only a handful will be working in Wolverhampton."

A spokesman for the City of Wolverhampton Council said: "The new online taxi licence application system went live this week. Both drivers and vehicles need to be licensed and the online platform enables existing taxi drivers to renew vehicle licenses and prospective drivers to apply for driver and vehicle licenses for the first time.

"The 2,000 figure quoted in the minutes to the committee meeting is for both driver and vehicle licences across all of 2016 and relates to applications, not licences granted.

"We are anticipating around 200 or 300 new driver applications by the end of this year. Typically around two thirds of applications are granted, following a driver assessment and checks to ensure they meet the required guidelines. These include applications from drivers who will not be driving solely in Wolverhampton but across the wider region."