NEW Best Practice Guidance: Consultation Launched
Yesterday the Department for Transport (DfT) launched a consultation to help develop new best practice guidance for the taxi and private hire trade. The last time best practice guidance was published was back in 2010. It’s fair to say, in the 12 years that’s passed, the trade has changed significantly.
At last year’s Institute of Licensing National Training Conference, new best practice guidance was something that came up a lot. Both as a desire and a joke. This consultation was supposed to be ready for the conference last year, but its better late than never!
What is the trade being consulted on?
The changes the industry has gone through in the past decade means some of the consultation focuses on issues that weren’t around when the last best practice guidance was published. Things like ride-sharing apps, app booking technology, and electric vehicles are all new things to consider.
Some of the key areas identified in the consultation’s draft guidance include:
Driver proficiency
Vocational training and assessment
Tinted windows
Identification and signage
Vehicle age limits
You can view the full consultation here.
Our best practice guidance for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing authorities in England has been updated to help make available the range of safe and accessible services passengers want and deserve. We want your views on this 👇https://t.co/T0iZr3UNp2
— Charlotte Vere (@CharlotteV) March 28, 2022
Hasn’t there just been new guidance?
2020 saw the publication of the new Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards. This document, although extensive, is focused on safeguarding and protecting the public. Guidance produced as a result of this consultation will target things like driver proficiency, livery and signage and the enforcement of licensing regimes.
It’s important to clarify that any guidance that is produced following this consultation is just guidance. There is no statutory responsibility for licensing authorities to pay attention to it.
National Minimum Standards
In the foreword to the consultation, Baroness Vere comments on where the government are up to on nationalised standards for the industry:
“The government’s commitment to introduce legislation, when parliamentary time allows, to enable the setting of national minimum licensing standards remains.
The measures in the final version of the best practice guidance, and the statutory taxi and private hire vehicle standards issued in 2020, are likely to be the starting point when setting any such future legislation.”
‘When parliamentary time allows’ is inherently ambiguous. It could still be many years before any kind of national standards are introduced for the Taxi and PH trade. However, it’s good to see that the new guidance and standards are likely to form the foundations for the future nationalisation of standards.
Licensing authorities have been asking for new guidance for years at this point. The announcement of this consultation is no doubt a welcome sign for licensing managers.
The consultation is open to licensing authorities as well as the public, licencing authorities, operators, drivers and representative bodies. The consultation will run until 11:45pm on 20 June 2022. You can submit your response here.