In July 2018 Jessica Labhart reported on the unusual numbers of taxi licences being granted in Wolverhampton, after taxi and private hire drivers protested in the city due to the massive rise in the number of licences issued by the city council.
Deregulation in 2015 allowed for drivers to work anywhere in England and Wales, regardless of where they have their licence. Wolverhampton cut the price of a licence and has gone from 852 private hire drivers in 2015 to well over 10,000 - the equivalent of one driver for every 24 people who live in the city.
The data unit provided data analysis for the piece.
- Department for Transport: Taxi statistics - see .ods files in this repo for copies.
- Raheel Shah, chairman, Wolverhampton Private Hire Drivers' Association
- Scott Baldwin, a taxi driver from Derby
- Chairman, City of Wolverhampton Council's licensing committee
- Spokesman, City of Wolverhampton Council
- Richard Corfield, Secretary, West Midlands Private Hire Drivers Association
- Column chart: Rise in licensed minicab drivers in Wolverhampton, 2014-2018
- Bar chart: Areas with the biggest rise in licensed taxi and private hire drivers since deregulation, England and Wales, 2015-2017