The taxi drivers in Greater Manchester registered 80 miles away

Concerns have been raised that cab drivers could obtain licences from Wolverhampton and work in Wigan to avoid new rules to improve emissions.

Coun John Vickers raised his concerns over drivers with Wolverhampton registrations operating in the area and whether a new change in vehicle standards could see this problem escalate. Joanne Brockley, licensing manager at Wigan Council, explained that Wolverhampton Council’s taxi standards for emissions were lower, which is the reasoning behind cabs operating under their registrations.

The Regulation Committee approved the implementation of a minimum age requirement for taxis in the area.

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The committee agreed that saloon vehicles could be no older than 10 years and wheelchair accessible vehicles 15 years. This new policy would only come into force on April 1, 2026 - after which vehicles older than the requirement would not be granted a new taxi licence.

A number of Greater Manchester authorities have already implemented this change so Wigan can no longer delay in agreeing the GM-wide policy despite fears this could see their fleet numbers drop. To offset this issue there is a ‘cooling-off’ period between August 16 and April 1, 2026, where cabbies will be allowed time to prepare for the changes due to current high car prices.

“What happens out of Wigan is outside our control,” Coun Vickers asked during the town hall meeting on August 11. “A lot of the issues are coming from Wolverhampton (licensed taxis).”

Councillors were told how there is no way to prevent cabs registered under different authorities working in the area. Ms Brockley claimed they only knew of two vehicles from private firms in the area