Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner has announced that he is presenting a Private Member’s Bill (PMB) to parliament to deal with issues relating to the hiring of taxis across the borders of different licensing authorities.

Speaking in a Westminster Hall debate on Tuesday about the future of the UK taxi trade and the complexities of the regulatory system, Zeichner complained that “it really can’t be right that someone denied a licence in one area turns up on those same streets as we’ve seen in some places around the country within a few days, with a licence from somewhere else”,  and noted that this “completely undercuts the confidence the public has”. 

Mr Zeichner commended Cambridge City councillors for their “hands-on” approach to managing appeals, while noting that neighbouring authorities take “a different view”. 

In February, following a BBC investigation, it was revealed that South Cambridgeshire District Council had given licences to taxi drivers with convictions for violence, drug offences, and fraud. At the time, many Cambridge City taxi drivers complained that drivers rejected by the City Council would often get licences in South Cambridgeshire.

Noting the consensus around “some kind of national standards” on cross-hiring issues both in the Local Government Association and in the relevant All-Party Parliamentary Group, Zeichner ended his speech by announcing a PMB “to make provision about the exercise of taxi and private hire vehicle licensing functions in relation to persons about whom there are safeguarding or road safety concerns.”

Mr Zeichner is one of twenty MPs scheduled to put forward a Private Member’s Bill – a type of legislation that can be introduced by members of MPs who are not ministers – for the 2017-19 Parliamentary session, having successfully balloted for one last month. While there are a number of ways to advance a PMB, members who successfully apply for a ballot often have a higher chance of seeing legislation passed as greater time is given to ballots than other methods of passing a PMB such as under the Ten Minute Rule. 

Mr Zeichner also addressed issues with the Deregulation Act 2015 regarding bookings being handled by a third party: "Booking can be passed on to someone else, which may seem like a good idea in terms of efficiency, but it means you just don't know what you're getting. Frankly, if you go to a supermarket checkout with a box of jaffa cakes, and they were substituted for an own-brand at that point, and you were told it was the same thing, actually, it's not. It's not what you bought." 

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He also spoke about the importance of ensuring taxi drivers welcome everyone in their cabs, commending the speeches and work done by colleagues Wes Streeting and Andrew Gwynne concerning the difficulties facing guide dog owners.