CCTV, greener cars and more financial check among key issues up for consultation for Peterborough taxis
A sweeping raft of changes could be on its way for taxis and their drivers in Peterborough as a new consultation goes live.
A new licensing policy for taxi and private hire vehicles operating in Peterborough has officially opened to the public.
The policies govern standards drivers and their vehicles have to meet in order to be granted an operating licence by Peterborough City Council.
The proposed policy changes include an introduction of financial checks for all new and renewal operator applications, as well as plans for zero-emission vehicles to be eligible for licensing up to 18 years old, encouraging the use of cleaner vehicles
Key issues of the consultation
- Whether vehicle age and emissions requirements remain appropriate and deliverable.
- Whether critical failure criteria and vehicle testing frequency should be amended.
- Whether the policy should introduce stronger requirements for app-based booking records and customer information.
Whether CCTV should remain voluntary or be reconsidered in light of national policy developments.
- Whether safeguarding refresher training intervals remain appropriate
- Whether the convictions and suitability guidelines require full update against current national standards and local risk.
- Whether accessibility expectations for private hire operators should be strengthened. •
- Whether additional arrangements are required for out-of-area working, enforcement and intelligence sharing.
The planned changes are intended to strengthen public safety, improve regulatory oversight and ensure that licensed operators and vehicles continue to meet appropriate standards. Increased safeguarding of vulnerable passengers is paramount, particularly where taxi and private hire services are used to deliver passenger transport contracts or support other journeys involving children, young people, adults at risk or those who may be vulnerable due to their circumstances.
Councillor Christian Hogg, Cabinet Member for Regulatory Services and Enforcement, said: “With the current licensing policy set to expire soon, we are taking the right steps to get a new relevant policy agreed.
“This will ensure that a robust and up-to-date framework is in place to safeguard licensed drivers, operators and members of the public using taxi and private hire services in the city.
“We will shortly be inviting everyone to have their say on the draft policy and will be promoting this on our social media accounts. Once this launches, I would urge everyone to have your say. This will only take a few minutes of your time but your feedback will be vitally important.”
The new Taxi and Private Hire Policy, when finally signed off, will run from 2026 to 2031.
The consultation will run until December 18 and can be viewed on the Peterborough City Council website.