Wolverhampton sixth-highest for its own taxi licences - use our interactive map to see where they all are

Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act has shown that in the year ending 2025 the council issued more than 53,000 licences with the vast majority being used outside the city since only 1,921 were issued locally.

The total number of licensed drivers under the council increased by approximately 218 per cent between 2019 and 2025 (16,956 to 53,961). The figures for 2026 so far (up to June) are already higher than the end of 2025 figures with 54,442.

The total number of licensed vehicles in force also increased by around 240 per cent between 2019 and 2025 (10,798 to 36,797). The figures for 2026 so far (up to June 2026) are also almost 6 per cent higher already at 38,775.

But if they aren’t all operating in the local area - where are they?

Take a look at the 10 local authority areas for Wolverhampton taxi licences below and use our interactive map to find which region has the most below.

Top 10 local authorities for Wolverhampton Council taxi licences

1. Birmingham — 9,887
2. Manchester — 3,896
3. Leicester — 2,914
4. Sandwell — 2,476
5. Coventry — 2,359
6. Wolverhampton — 1,921
7. Nottingham — 1,901
8. Walsall — 1,691
9. Bolton — 1,577
10. Derby — 1,540

Here’s where other authorities in our area ranked:

• Dudley - 950 (14th)
• Staffordshire - 919 (15th)
• Telford and Wrekin - 384 (28th)
• Shropshire - 93 (65th)

Use our interactive map to find where the most are by region at the end of 2025

The West Midlands naturally has the most taxis registered by the council with over 23,000 - making up approximately 43 per cent of all of the licences issued by the council by the end of 2025.

The North West is the second highest with over 13,000 (25 per cent) licensed by the council, followed by the East Midlands with more than 8,600 (16 per cent).

Other areas such as Yorkshire and the Humber, East of England, London and the South East had over at least 1,400 licences, while the North East, the South West and Wales all had fewer than 1,000.

The lowest regions were Scotland with 37 and Northern Ireland with 2 (both less than 1 per cent).

It comes after Wolverhampton Council was named as an authority which issued thousands of licences to drivers who did not live in the city last year.

Councillors were told that other areas around the country, including Manchester and Blackpool, had raised concerns about the number of so-called “out-of-town” licences issued by the West Midlands council.

Reports say that in the last five years Wolverhampton has tripled the number of private hire vehicles it has licensed, a practice that is legal. Figures released in 2024 revealed that up to 96 per cent of the licences issued by the council between April 2023 and the end of March 2024 were for people living and working outside the city.

The sharp rise in licences from Wolverhampton Council has led the Government to propose an overhaul of the practice.

The Government plans to reform taxi licensing across the country. Currently, 263 different bodies issue licences to drivers, including councils and Transport for London. But under the proposals set out by the Department for Transport in January, this would be reduced to 70 local transport authorities, which already manage local transport planning.