Taxis are ‘broken’ - this is Andy Burnham’s plan to fix it
It's been a tumultuous month-or-so for Manchester's taxi drivers.
At the end of March, cabbies warned hundreds of black cabs could disappear from the city's roads on New Year's Eve because new emissions rules for 2026 meant older, dirtier cars could no longer operate here.
At the start of May, Uber, Bolt, and Addison Lee drivers went on a 24-hour strike, protesting against pay rates.
And in mid-April, Andy Burnham unveiled plans to overhaul how Greater Manchester's taxi licensing system works, describing it as 'broken' currently.
The mayor's announcement on April 16 did solve one crisis, as he confirmed he would give cabbies an extra year to buy newer, more environmentally-friendly cars. Previously, Hackney Carriage drivers warned the required upgrade 'physically could not be done' by the end of this year for 1,350 drivers necessary.
However, gripes still remain among Greater Manchester's private hire trade, as drivers in the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) trade union working for Uber, Bolt, and Addison Lee went on strike at 7am on Thursday (May 1).
They hit out at the amount of commission companies take from drivers, which Uber admitted can be up to 40pc for some journeys, but added it averages '20-30pc' weekly.
"It's the worst job I've ever had," said Tesfit Kidane, from Blackley, who started with Uber in December 2023. "I was working in a warehouse before. I am thinking of going back to the warehouse.
"The payment is not enough… We have to pay insurance and road tax. We have a family to feed from that."
Vahid, a cabbie of seven years who has worked with various firms in the city, also said he was considering quitting Uber.
"The price is already half compared to other fares in Manchester," he said. "I used to work with other companies, like StreetCars, the wages with Uber are half.
"If they carry on, what's the point working with them? With my family and the cost of living, it's not worth it."
It's thought top Uber bosses and union chiefs are meeting next week in an effort to quell workers' anger. A spokesperson for the firm added: "We regularly engage with drivers, especially through our industry-leading agreement with GMB Union, who [did] not take part in this action.
"Uber is currently meeting with hundreds of drivers across the country to hear directly from them about how we can improve their experience on the platform."
Whatever the outcome of next week's summit, there's another issue drivers are 'very divided' on, IWGB's Morgan Powell said: Out-of-area working.
It occurs when a driver registers with one council, where it's seen as easier to secure a taxi licence, and works in another part of the country.
More than four-in-ten private hire taxis in Greater Manchester are licensed outside the area, with 11pc of all minicabs nationally registered in Wolverhampton alone.
Ending the practice is a core part of Andy Burnham's 'backing our taxis' campaign. The mayor believes out-of-area working makes enforcing taxi safety standards harder, and is calling on the government to tackle it.
"The taxi licensing system is demonstrably a broken system," said Mr Burnham. "In our city-region, we are on the verge of not licensing the majority of our taxis.
"We're just about hanging on. But if the growth [in out-of-area] licences continues, we will no longer licence the majority of our taxis."
The campaign also asks the government to extend VAT exemptions on taxis adapted for disabled people, extend the plug-in taxi grant until March 2027, and reduce the rate of VAT on public electric vehicle charging to just 5pc.
However, much of the detail in the plan is yet to be worked out. An 'engagement exercise' with the industry — both in and outside Greater Manchester — is running until summer, and final recommendations will be unveiled in autumn.
That means answers to key questions as to how the new rules will work remain unknown.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) how Greater Manchester standards will be enforced to outside drivers, but TfGM said it was too early to provide details.
It's also unknown if a cap on the numbers of private hire licences will be brought in, as alluded to by Mr Burnham.
The LDRS also asked the government if it's aware of the campaign, and if it is working with the mayor on taxi reform. The Department for Transport statement did not address Greater Manchester specifically, but said: "We are aware of the concerns about taxi and private hire vehicle licensing, including out-of-area working, and are considering options to improve regulation of the sector.
"Passenger safety is our top priority; all taxi and private hire vehicle drivers licensed in England are subject to the highest-level background checks and since 2023 local authorities have been required to use a national database which shows them when a license has been refused, suspended, or revoked on safety grounds, ensuring safer journeys."
For now, Manchester's taxi trade is 'broken' — and we don't know how it will be fixed.
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