Derby taxi association urges council to rethink vehicle age agenda.

Derby, UK. September 2025:

The Derby Area Taxi Association (D.A.T.A) is working to engage and unify the city’s drivers in response to Derby City Council’s review of its licensing policy.
At issue is a clause requiring newly licensed private hire vehicles to be less than five years old at the point of their first license.

The policy, introduced this year under a cloud of concern and confusion, was intended to improve safety. However, D.A.T.A warns it has little impact on overall safety due to the prevalence of out of town licensed drivers and vehicles operating in Derby.
Instead, the rule places unnecessary financial strain on local drivers, pushing many to register their vehicles with other councils (including Wolverhampton, Gedling, and Ashfield) where licensing conditions are less restrictive and beyond the reach of Derby’s enforcement officers.

“Drivers simply cannot justify the extra cost when the same make and model of vehicle, perhaps just months older, is refused by Derby but accepted elsewhere,” said a Derby licensed private hire driver. “This creates an uneven playing field and is driving hardworking local drivers away from licensing with their own city. If a vehicle meets the ECO specifications laid out by the council, the age at first license should depend on the driver’s circumstances.”

Safety concerns raised
Freedom of Information requests reveal there are around 700 Derby licensed private hire vehicles, compared with 1,500–1,700 Wolverhampton licensed drivers with DE postcodes*. Adding drivers plated through other councils means there are likely two to three times more out-of-town vehicles operating in Derby than those licensed locally.

Because Derby enforcement officers have no authority over vehicles licensed by other councils, this trend undermines passenger safety, not the age of a vehicle that already undergoes two safety checks per year. Officers can only monitor Derby-plated vehicles, leaving the majority of cars on Derby’s roads outside their control.

“This is not just about fairness for drivers, it’s about safety for passengers,” added a D.A.T.A spokesperson. “By forcing drivers out of Derby’s licensing system, the council is reducing its own oversight of vehicles operating in the city. How can they be pushing safety as a key concern when they have no way to oversee out of town drivers”

A call for change
D.A.T.A is urging Derby City Council to work more closely with the trade and to introduce policies that encourage drivers to remain locally licensed. A key step would be to raise the vehicle age limit for first-time licensing, allowing well-maintained vehicles over five years old to qualify. This would enable drivers to put affordable, quality cars and vans on the road, rather than being forced into debt by purchasing newer, high-mileage vehicles while already contending with unfair fares driven by corporate app-based operators.

“This simple change would ease the financial burden on drivers and keep more of them licensed within Derby, where they can be properly monitored and supported,” the spokesperson said.

About D.A.T.A
The Derby Area Taxi Association (D.A.T.A) represents private hire drivers across Derby, working to protect livelihoods, improve safety and promote a fair and sustainable trade.

*Freedom of infomation request to Wolverhampton Council.