The UK taxi licensing landscape is on the brink of major change.
In May 2025, the Department for Transport (DfT) confirmed that it would consult on transferring taxi and private hire licensing powers from local district councils to Local Transport Authorities (LTAs). The aim? To introduce consistency, cross-border enforcement, and better safeguarding across England’s fragmented licensing system.
While details are still unfolding, one thing is clear: councils and combined authorities must prepare for structural change — and the systems they rely on need to keep pace.
❗ Why It Matters
Right now, many authorities are working with legacy platforms that were designed for local operations, not for multi-area, multi-role collaboration.
With LTAs likely to become responsible for licensing across wider geographic and political regions, licensing software must evolve to:
✅ Support multi-district operations
✅ Share data securely across boundaries
✅ Standardise workflows while respecting local nuances
✅ Integrate with DVLA, NR3, and DBS
✅ Deliver end-to-end digital services that reduce admin time and processing costs