Member

We are worried about the effect of preventing passengers close to the boundary of a licensing authority from being able to use a preferred operator for all their journeys, despite their being subject in the future to the same national minimum standards we are seeking to introduce in the Bill. That is a particular concern; as we know, vulnerable passengers disproportionately rely on taxis and private hire vehicles. The geographically selective nature of the amendment would make the regulatory framework for taxis and private hire vehicles even more fragmented and inconsistent. The Government are focused on greater consistency across the nation.