Andy Burnham condemns taxi drivers using 'out of town' plates

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

The mayor for Greater Manchester has condemned taxis registered ‘hundreds of miles away’ to avoid meeting local standards. Appearing on BBC Radio Manchester’s ‘In The Hotseat’, Andy Burnham was asked by a cabbie about the new vehicle standards being agreed by Wigan Council last week.

Jack, from Wigan, stated that these higher standards, a policy agreed by Greater Manchester Combined Authority, to bring in more modern vehicles could see Greater Manchester taxi fleets depleted and bring a rise of out of town plates being used.

On the live radio phone-in, Mr Burnham shared this concern about drivers getting their taxi licence in Wolverhampton and Sefton, where standards are lower, but trading in Greater Manchester. Join our FREE Manchester Crime and Court WhatsApp group by clicking here “How are they allowing it, the other authorities, who are 100 or so miles away,” Mr Burnham told presenter Mike Sweeney. “How are they not checking up on those taxis and those drivers, but they're taking in the money for it. “How are they allowing that situation?

They shouldn't be doing it because they're giving plates without being able to then monitor the performance.” The mayor was questioned over whether they would review these new standards that are set to be enforced by April 2026.