Today I committed my support to a new campaign asking for national minimum standards for taxi and private hire licensing in order to improve the safety of passengers, particularly women travelling on their own. 

The campaign launch event was hosted by Justin Tomlinson MP and personal safety charity Suzy Lamplugh Trust, and was inspired by concerns that taxi and private hire vehicle licences are being granted to drivers with criminal convictions including violent offences. The charity’s research indicates that passenger safety is being compromised because there are no national minimum standards to enforce sufficient safety checks for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing.

The report concludes that national minimum standards will help to ensure consistency and improve safety checks across all licensing authorities throughout England and Wales.

By prioritising passenger safety and ensuring drivers are appropriately vetted, we can increase the confidence of those who use taxis or private hire vehicles.

More information on the ‘Steering towards safety’ campaign and report can be found at www.suzylamplugh.org