Ride-hailing giant Bolt has issued a stark warning about proposed reforms to taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) regulation in England. The company cautions that new enforcement powers, which would allow licensing authorities to suspend an entire operator’s licence over issues with a single vehicle, could prevent tens of thousands of drivers from working and disrupt journeys for millions of passengers.
This intervention arrives as the House of Lords debates key elements of the first major overhaul of national taxi and PHV standards in nearly 50 years. The reforms, stemming from the government’s 2023 consultation, aim to modernise a framework originally set by the 2003 Transport Act. A central point of contention is the proposed power for licensing officers to impose operator-level suspensions, a significant shift from the current system which typically targets individual drivers or vehicles.
Bolt Raises Concerns Over Proposed Enforcement Powers
Kimberly Hurd, Bolt’s Senior General Manager for the UK, stated the company supports the principle of reform but urges caution regarding unintended operational consequences. “We also have concerns about recent government proposals for licensing officers to be given powers to suspend entire operator licences,” Hurd said. “An issue with a single vehicle could result in suspension of an entire operator licence, preventing tens of thousands of drivers from working and disrupting journeys for millions of passengers.”
Bolt argues this blanket approach fails to account for the scale of modern, digital-first operators. A suspension at the operator level, rather than addressing the specific vehicle or driver involved, could halt services across multiple regions simultaneously. This raises serious questions about service continuity for passengers and the financial stability of a large, flexible workforce that is predominantly self-employed.
Industry Input and Proportionality Key to Successful Reform
Describing the proposals as “a fundamental change to taxi and PHV licensing,” Hurd stressed that any new measures “must be developed with industry input.” She called for reforms to be “evidence-based, proportionate, and workable,” reflecting a broader industry anxiety about regulatory overreach and inconsistent enforcement across England’s patchwork of local licensing authorities.
“We welcome national standards and enhanced enforcement powers to support safety across the industry, and we support licensing officers’ ability to intervene when problems are identified,” Hurd clarified. However, she warned that poorly calibrated rules risk undermining both driver livelihoods and passenger access: “Let’s work together to protect public safety and transport access, ensuring drivers can earn a living and passengers can get home safely, wherever they are.”
The Cross-Border Hiring Debate: Safety vs. Service
Separately, Bolt addressed the heated debate around cross-border hiring—where drivers licensed in one local authority area accept trips in another. The government has indicated a desire to restrict this practice, but Hurd described it as “a complex issue” requiring closer collaboration with policymakers.
She argued that arbitrary geographical restrictions could cause significant disruption. “If we restrict drivers to arbitrary geographical boundaries, we risk significant travel disruption, increasing costs and passenger and driver frustration, without actually improving safety,” she stated.
To challenge the assumption that out-of-area drivers are less safe, Bolt cited its internal complaint data. “There is a misconception that ‘out-of-area’ drivers are inherently less safe, but our data suggests otherwise,” Hurd said. “Complaint data shows virtually no difference between drivers licensed locally and those from other areas.”
The operational reliance on cross-border activity is particularly acute for airport journeys. Bolt’s data indicates that 82% of trips to Manchester Airport are completed by drivers operating outside the local licensing area. This statistic underscores the potential passenger impact of rigid boundary rules, which could severely limit transport options to critical national infrastructure.
As the legislative process continues, Bolt’s position highlights the delicate balance regulators must strike between strengthening safety standards—a core objective of the reforms—and maintaining a viable, efficient service for the public and a sustainable livelihood for the hundreds of thousands of drivers in the sector.
Image Credit: www.taxi-point.co.uk
