Accredited official statistics

Taxi and private hire vehicle statistics, England: 2026

Published 13 August 2026

Applies to England

About this release

This statistical release presents information on taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) in England as at 1 April 2026. This includes PHV operators and drivers who use app-based technology. However, we are not able to disaggregate which drivers are using these apps in the figures presented.

The data in this statistical release represents a snapshot as at 1 April 2026. This ensures that any changes by licensing authorities that are taking effect on 1 April are included. Prior to the 2023 release, data represented the position as at 31 March.

Figures are updated through surveying each licensing authority (a unitary or lower tier authority) in England and Wales. Some of the data is derived from other additional sources.

This release refers to England only, but statistics for Wales can be found in the associated tables.

This publication includes accredited official statistics and official statistics. For more information, see the official statistics section.

The next taxi and private hire vehicle statistics release is due to be published in summer 2027.

Headline figures

As at 1 April 2026, in England, there was a total of:

• 52,300 licensed taxis, a decrease of 7% compared with 2024

• 290,000 licensed PHVs, an increase of 13% compared with 2024

• 417,300 taxi and PHV driver licences, an increase of 9% compared with 2024

• 34,500 wheelchair-accessible licensed taxis and PHVs, a decrease of 4% compared with 2024

Rounding

Figures concerning numbers of licensed vehicles and driver licences in this release are rounded to the nearest 100, unless otherwise stated.

Where percentage changes are presented, they have been calculated on the unrounded figures.

Things you need to know

Taxis and private hire vehicles

Taxis, also known as hackney carriages, are available for immediate hire, can be hailed in the street (‘ply for hire’) or accept pre-bookings. Taxis have 2 types of licence: a vehicle licence (issued to the owner of the taxi) and a driving licence.

Private hire vehicles, also known as minicabs, must be pre-booked and cannot use taxi ranks. It is illegal for PHVs to ply for hire. PHVs have 3 types of licence: a vehicle licence, a driving licence and an operator licence.

Licensing authorities

In England, taxi and PHV licensing responsibility currently lies with the relevant unitary council in areas with a single tier of local government and with district councils in areas with two tiers of local government. In London, Transport for London is responsible for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing. A licensing authority is not necessarily the same body as the local transport authority, which is responsible for local transport planning.

There were 263 licensing authorities in England as at 1 April 2026. However, the three districts that make up the Westmorland and Furness unitary authority, and the four districts that make up the Somerset unitary authority, provided separate returns. We therefore received a total of 268 survey returns. Where it is appropriate, we have aggregated the statistics of those districts to their unitary authorities.

In addition, there were 4 licensing authorities which did not have any licensed taxis as at 1 April 2026. Three of these authorities responded to our questions concerning taxi policies, while South Derbyshire did not respond as they do not license taxis. The number of authorities appropriate to the statistics are presented in this report, where relevant.

Licensed drivers and driver licences

Some drivers may be licensed in more than one authority, so the number of driver licences does not equate directly to the number of licensed drivers.

Out-of-area working

It is important to note that when talking about the number of licensed vehicles per 1,000 people in any geographical area, this is the number of vehicles licensed by that authority and not the number of vehicles operating in that area.

Under the current licensing system in England, taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) drivers may obtain a licence from a licensing authority outside the area in which they predominantly operate. This practice, commonly referred to as out-of-area working, means that the number of licensed vehicles recorded for a licensing authority does not necessarily reflect the number of vehicles operating within that authority’s area. Some authorities license a disproportionately large number of vehicles compared with their resident population, and users should exercise caution when comparing licensing rates between authorities.

Taxis, PHVs, and their drivers

Chart 1: Total licensed taxi and private hire vehicles and driver licences in England, from 2005 onwards (TAXI0102)

Chart 1 is a line chart showing the total number of licensed vehicles (including both taxis and PHVs) and the total number of driver licences from 2005 to 2026. As at 1 April 2026, in England, there were approximately:

• 342,300 licensed taxi and private hire vehicles, a 9% increase from 2024 and an 85% increase from 2005

• 417,300 taxi and private hire vehicle driver licences, a 9% increase from 2024 and a 72% increase from 2005

In 2024, both the number of licensed vehicles and driver licences exceeded their levels from before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Chart 2: Licensed vehicles by type and area of England, from 2005 onwards (TAXI0101)

Chart 2 is a line chart showing the number of licensed taxis and PHVs in England inside and outside of London since 2005. As at 1 April 2026, there were approximately:

• 196,600 licensed PHVs in England outside of London, an increase of 20% since 2024

• 93,300 licensed PHVs in London, an increase of 1% since 2024

• 13,700 licensed taxis in London, a decrease of 7% since 2024

• 38,600 licensed taxis in England outside of London, a decrease of 7% since 2024

The number of licensed private hire vehicles in England, both within and outside of London, has risen substantially since around 2015, while the number of licensed taxis has fallen.

Summary

Table 1: Summary of statistics for 2026

Quantity	Thousands of vehicles 2026 - London	Percentage change since 1 April 2024 - London	Thousands of vehicles 2026 - England	Percentage change since 1 April 2024 - England
Both taxi and PHV driver licences	0.0	Not applicable	5.4	-13%
Dual taxi and PHV driver licences	0.0	Not applicable	84.7	+9%
Taxi only driver licences	16.0	-8%	30.4	-11%
PHV only driver licences	104.9	-1%	296.8	+13%
Total driver licences	120.9	-2%	417.3	+9%
PHV Operator licences	1.8	+6%	18.9	+17%
Total licensed taxis	13.7	-7%	52.3	-7%
Wheelchair accessible taxis	13.7	-7%	28.0	-8%
Total licensed PHVs	93.3	+1%	290.0	+13%
Wheelchair accessible PHVs	0.4	-10%	6.4	+15%
Total licensed vehicles	107.0	~0%	342.3	+9%

Table 1 presents a summary of headline statistics for 2026 and a comparison against their values from 2024.

Licensed taxis and PHVs per 1,000 population

Map 1: Licensed taxis and private hire vehicles per 1,000 of the population by licensing authority in England, 2026 (TAXI0105)

Map 1 is a map showing the combined total of licensed taxis and PHVs per 1,000 of the population across the 263 licensing authorities in England. Values range between 0.6 and 135.4 vehicles per 1,000 population.

Out of the 263 licensing authorities in England, Wolverhampton is a notable outlier, with 135.4 licensed vehicles per 1,000 population. This is more than four times greater than the authority with the second highest number of licensed vehicles per 1,000 population, which is Knowsley (31.5 licensed vehicles per 1,000 population). In Wolverhampton, the vast majority of these licensed vehicles are PHVs, with around 38,000 PHVs compared with approximately 100 taxis. Wolverhampton has licensed 13.1% of all PHVs in England. This reflects where vehicles are licensed, not necessarily where they operate.

Chart 3: Licensed taxis and private hire vehicles per 1,000 of the population by urban-rural classification, England 2026 (TAXI0105)

Chart 3 is a bar chart showing the number of taxis and PHVs per 1,000 population in England, broken down according to the Office for National Statistics’ 2021 Rural Urban Classification at Local Authority level.

The number of licensed taxis per 1,000 population is broadly similar across all categories, ranging between 0.7 and 1.0. By contrast, the number of licensed PHVs is significantly higher in urban areas, being a factor of 3–5 higher in urban authorities than in intermediate urban, intermediate rural, or majority rural authorities with 6.6 PHVs per 1,000 population.

Rural Urban Classification

In the 2021 Rural Urban Classification, local authorities are classified into one of four categories: “urban”, “intermediate urban”, “intermediate rural”, or “rural majority”, based upon:

• address density

• physical settlement form

• population size

• relative access to major towns and cities (populations of over 75,000 people)

For further information, please see the 2021 Rural Urban Classification User Guide.

Driver licences

Of the 417,300 in England as at 1 April 2026:

• 7% of driver licences were taxi-only licences, compared with 9% in 2024

• 71% of driver licences were PHV-only licences, compared with 69% in 2024

• 20% of driver licences were dual taxi and PHV licences, which was unchanged from 2024

• 1% of licences were issued to an individual who held both taxi and PHV licences, compared with 2% in 2024

Overall, the number of taxi driver licences fell slightly since 2024, while the number of PHV driver licences rose.

Licensed PHV operators

PHV operators need to be licensed to accept bookings and dispatch vehicles to customers. As at 1 April 2026 there were 19,000 licensed PHV operators in England. When compared to the 16,300 operators in 2024, this represents an increase of 17%.

The figures relate to PHV operator licences on issue rather than individual operators. Some operators may hold licences in more than one licensing authority, so the number of licences does not necessarily equal the number of unique PHV operators.

The number of applications received by licensing authorities for new PHV operators in England was 3,700, which is similar to the 3,600 new PHV operator applications in 2024.

Accessibility

In England, as at 1 April 2026:

• 10% of all licensed taxis and PHVs were wheelchair accessible

• 54% of all licensed taxis were wheelchair accessible

• 2% of all licensed PHVs were wheelchair accessible

These percentages are similar to the equivalent values reported in 2024.

Wheelchair accessibility

Map 2: Percentage of licensed vehicles that were wheelchair accessible in 2026 by licensing authority, England (TAXI0104)

Map 2 shows the percentage of licensed vehicles that were wheelchair accessible as at 1 April 2026 across all 263 licensing authorities in England. As at 1 April 2026:

• there were 7 with no wheelchair-accessible taxis or PHVs

• the licensing authority with the greatest percentage of wheelchair-accessible vehicles was Worcester with 71.3%

• there were 57 licensing authorities in which 100% of taxis were wheelchair accessible, compared with 52 in 2024

Accessibility policies

Training requirements (TAXI0110)

As at 1 April 2026, in England:

• 76% of licensing authorities in England required disability awareness training for taxi drivers, compared with 67% in 2024

• 74% of licensing authorities in England required disability awareness training for PHV drivers, compared with 65% in 2024

Wheelchair policies (TAXI0110)

As at 1 April 2026, in England:

• 98% of licensing authorities maintained a list of wheelchair-accessible taxis, which was the same as in 2024

• 94% of licensing authorities maintained a list of wheelchair-accessible PHVs, which was the same as in 2024

Section 167 of the Equality Act 2010 states that licensing authorities must maintain and publish lists of wheelchair-accessible taxis and PHVs.

Safeguarding

Child sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation awareness, and county lines training (TAXI0109)

As at 1 April 2026, in England:

• 258 (97%) of the 267 taxi-licensing authorities required taxi drivers to complete child sexual abuse (CSA) or child sexual exploitation (CSE) awareness training

• 208 (78%) of the 267 taxi-licensing authorities required taxi drivers to complete either child sexual abuse (CSA) or child sexual exploitation (CSE) awareness training and additional county lines training

• 259 (97%) of the 268 PHV-licensing authorities required PHV drivers to complete child sexual abuse (CSA) or child sexual exploitation (CSE) awareness training

• 209 (78%) of the 268 PHV-licensing authorities required PHV drivers to complete either child sexual abuse (CSA) or child sexual exploitation (CSE) awareness training and additional county lines training

Security checks (TAXI0109)

As at 1 April 2026, all licensing authorities in England required an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, including the barred list check, for taxi and PHV drivers.

CCTV (TAXI0108)

As at 1 April 2026, in England:

• 9% of licensing authorities required licensed taxis to have CCTV fitted, compared with 8% in 2024

• 9% of licensing authorities required licensed PHVs to have CCTV fitted, compared with 7% in 2024

• 99% of authorities without a CCTV requirement allowed CCTV to be fitted in both taxis and PHVs

Only one authority does not allow CCTV to be fitted in either taxis or PHVs.

National Register of Refusals, Revocations and Suspensions

The National Register of Refusals, Revocations and Suspensions (NR3S) is an operational database maintained by the National Anti-Fraud Network (NAFN). Licensing authorities are able to search the database to check whether a driver who is applying for a licence has previously had their licence removed, revoked or suspended by another authority, and can enter information on drivers whose licences they have refused, revoked or suspended.

The data is based on all searches and entries in the database carried out by licensing authorities. The figures shown are therefore management information, and not official statistics.

Use of the NR3S database was optional for licensing authorities during the year ending 31 March 2023. Use of the database has since been made mandatory in England (but not Wales) from 27 April 2023. Prior to this, licensing authorities received access to the database at different times. Therefore, caution should be exercised when attempting to make any comparisons between authorities.

Since use of the database is now mandatory in England, we are currently assessing the demand for this data and are proposing to cease publication of table ‘TAXI0118’ in future. We welcome any feedback you may have on this proposal at localtransport.statistics@dft.gov.uk.

Between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, in England, there were:

• 245,200 searches of the NR3S database by licensing authorities

• approximately 0.6 searches per driver licence

• 12,200 entries in the database

• around 0.03 entries per driver licence

There are several reasons why numbers may differ between authorities each year, such as not having access to the database at the time, or not revoking, refusing or suspending any licences during the year.

Taxi and PHV passengers

The statistics in this section have been compiled by the National Travel Survey (NTS), a household survey of personal travel by residents of England travelling within Great Britain, with data collected via interviews and a seven-day travel diary.

Data is taken from the National Travel Survey: 2024, which is the most recent edition at the time of this publication. Where relevant, figures will be compared to those in the National Travel Survey: 2023.

Data from the NTS can be used to analyse the users of taxis and PHVs. Note that data collected on specific travel by taxi or PHV cannot identify which type of service was used or if app-based technology was used to hail or book.

Trips in taxis and PHVs (NTS0303)

Chart 4: Average number of taxi and PHV trips taken per person per year, England, 2002 to 2024 (NTS0303)

Chart 4 is a line chart showing the average number of taxi and PHV trips taken per person per year between 2002 and 2024.

In 2024, in England:

• the average number of taxi and PHV trips taken per person per year was 9, which is unchanged from 2023

• the average distance of taxi and PHV trips was 6.7 miles, compared with 6.2 miles in 2023

• the average duration of taxi and PHV trips was 23 minutes, compared with 22 minutes in 2023

Why do people travel by taxi or PHV? (NTS0409)

Chart 5: The purpose of taxi and PHV trips, England, 2024 (NTS0409)

Chart 5 is a pie chart showing the percentage of taxi or PHV trips taken per person per year in 2024 by purpose of the trip. Note that the “education” label refers to “education or escort education” trips.

Almost half (48%) of trips by taxi or PHV in 2024 were for leisure, which is unchanged from 2023. Other common reasons for trips in 2024 were:

• personal business (14%, compared with 11% in 2023)

• commuting (13%, which was unchanged compared to 2023)

• shopping (10%, compared with 11% in 2023)

• education or escort education (8%, compared with 11% in 2023)

How often do people use taxis or PHVs?

Chart 6: Frequency of taxi or PHV usage, England, 2023 and 2024 (NTS0313)

Chart 6 is a bar chart showing the frequency of taxi or PHV usage in England in 2023 and 2024. Note that percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding. It shows that:

• almost half of people (48%) rarely used a taxi or PHV in 2024 (i.e. used less than once a year or never), which was unchanged from 2023

• the proportion of people who used a taxi or PHV on a weekly basis (once a week or more) was 7% in 2024, up from 6% in 2023

Overall, the frequency of taxi or PHV usage for 2024 was very similar to 2023.

Who uses taxis and PHVs?

Mobility difficulties

The NTS definition of having a mobility difficulty is based on adults who said that they have difficulties travelling on foot, by bus, or both.

Chart 7: Taxi or PHV trips per person per year, by mobility difficulty, England, 2007 to 2024 (NTS0709)

Chart 7 is a line chart showing the average number of taxi or PHV trips taken per person per year between 2023 and 2024 with and without mobility difficulties.

In England in 2024:

• 15 trips per year were taken, on average, by people with mobility difficulties, a decrease when compared with 19 trips in 2023

• 9 trips per year were taken, on average, by people without mobility difficulties, which was the same as in 2023

Chart 8: Taxi or PHV trips per person per year, by age and sex, England, 2024 (NTS0601)

Chart 8 is a bar chart showing the average number of taxi or PHV trips taken per person per year in 2024 by age and sex.

In 2024, in England:

• females in all age groups, except those aged 0–16 and 21–29, took more trips per year, on average, than their male counterparts

• females took an average of 10 taxi or PHV trips per year compared to 8 trips for males

• both males and females of all ages travelled a total of 63 miles by taxi or PHV, on average, compared with a total of 54 miles for males and 67 miles for females, on average, in 2023

Car access (NTS0702)

In 2024, in England:

• people living in households without access to a car or van took 23 trips per year in a taxi or PHV – approximately four times the 6 trips per year taken by people living in households with access to a car or van

• people living in households without access to a car or van travelled an average of 119 miles per person per year compared with 52 miles per person per year for people living in households with access to a car or van

With the exceptions of 2020 and 2021, which were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, both the average number of taxi or PHV trips taken per person per year, and the average distance travelled per person per year has remained generally stable since 2002 for people living in households with and without access to a car or van.

Household income (NTS0705)

In 2024, in England:

• people whose household income is in the highest quintile took an average of 8 taxi or PHV trips per person per year, travelling a total of 87 miles per year

• people whose household income is in the lowest quintile took an average of 12 taxi or PHV trips per person per year, travelling a total of 70 miles per year

Although the number of trips by taxi per PHV across all income levels has been declining since 2002, from an average of 12 trips per person per year to 9 trips per person per year, the total number of miles travelled per person per year has remained stable.

How far are taxi or PHV trips? (NTS0308)

In 2024, in England:

• 84% of taxi or PHV trips taken were for distances of 10 miles or less

• 39% of distance travelled in taxis and PHVs was in trips of under 10 miles

Since 2002, there is a long-term trend in which the average number of trips taken per person has been slowly declining, while the average length of those trips has been increasing. In 2002, 91% of trips taken were for less than 10 miles, compared with 84% in 2024 and, in 2002, 54% of the distance travelled in taxis and PHVs was in trips of under 10 miles, compared with 39% in 2024.

About these statistics

Uses and users of these statistics

These statistics are used within DfT to inform the development and monitoring of policy relating to taxis and PHVs (for example monitoring how many taxis and PHVs are wheelchair accessible) and for ministerial briefing or to answer public enquires.

Outside DfT, the statistics are of interest to various industry bodies and provide information for licensing authorities to compare themselves with other areas.

Strengths and weaknesses of the data

These statistics are derived from an annual survey of all taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) licensing authorities in England and Wales. Response rates are consistently high, with all licensing authorities providing data for the latest collection. The statistics are based on administrative data held by licensing authorities as part of their statutory licensing functions, providing comprehensive national and regional coverage of licensed vehicles, drivers and operators.

The data collected cover PHV operators and licensed drivers who use app-based technology, such as Uber. However, the survey does not capture information on which individual drivers use app-based platforms and it is therefore not possible to disaggregate these drivers in the published figures.

In addition, the survey captures the number of licences issued rather than the number of individual licence holders. Some drivers may hold licences from more than one licensing authority and may therefore be counted more than once in the total number of driver licences.

Statistics at local authority level should be interpreted with some caution. The figures represent licences issued by each licensing authority and not necessarily the number of vehicles or drivers operating within that area. For example, vehicles licensed by one authority may operate in other local authority areas. Differences between authorities may also reflect variations in local licensing policies and administrative practices rather than underlying differences in the taxi and private hire vehicle sector.

Although validation checks are carried out by DfT, the statistics rely on licensing authorities accurately extracting and reporting information from their administrative systems. Some authorities use live reporting systems, meaning figures may not always refer precisely to the survey reference date. Further details on the methodology, strengths and limitations of the data can be found in the background quality report.

Revisions

Numerical data

Numerical data is quality assured prior to publication. Where errors are identified after publication, including within historical data, the Department for Transport will consider whether revisions are required in accordance with its revisions policy. Where appropriate, revised data will be published and clearly identified in subsequent releases.

Policy responses

Policy-related questions (for example, whether a licensing authority has adopted a particular policy or practice) are intended to provide a snapshot of the information supplied by licensing authorities at the survey reference date. These responses are not routinely revised where an authority subsequently advises that a previous response was incorrect. Instead, corrections are reflected in the next publication, which contains the most recent information supplied by the authority. Users should refer to the latest publication for the most up-to-date position on policy-related questions.

Changes to this publication

We have made a number of changes to this year’s publication to improve clarity and ensure the statistics remain relevant to users. These changes include:

• discontinuing commentary on justice-related statistics, as these are available from the Ministry of Justice

• temporarily suspending analysis based on the Labour Force Survey (LFS) while the Office for National Statistics (ONS) transitions to the Transformed Labour Force Survey (TLFS). We intend to reintroduce labour market analysis when suitable data becomes available.

• reviewing the methodology used to produce statistics on the age and fuel type of licensed taxis and PHVs. These statistics are official statistics in development.

We welcome feedback on this publication and suggestions for future improvements. Please contact us at localtransport.statistics@dft.gov.uk.

Official statistics

This publication is a compendium of accredited official statistics, official statistics, statistics in development, and statistics that fall outside the scope of official statistics. The type of statistics presented is detailed in Table 2 below.

Table 2: Categories of statistics presented in this publication

Name of category of statistics	Label	Description
Taxi and PHV survey (national level)	Accredited official statistics	These official statistics were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in June 2012. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and should be labelled ‘accredited official statistics’.
Taxi and PHV survey (regional and local authority level)	Official statistics	These statistics are official statistics. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality, and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics.
National Travel Survey	Accredited official statistics	These official statistics were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in July 2011. The continued designation was confirmed in September 2018. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and should be labelled ‘accredited official statistics’.
National register of revocations, refusals and suspensions (NR3S database)	Management information – outside of the scope of official statistics process	The data used to produce these statistics are provided by an external body. They therefore fall outside the official statistics process.

Table 2 describes the categories of statistics presented in this publication.

The continued designation of these statistics as official accredited statistics was confirmed in February 2013. Official accredited statistics are produced to high professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure they meet customer needs. More information about these statistics can be found in the quality report. We also publish details of ministers and officials who receive pre-release access to these statistics up to 24 hours before release.

Other data sources

Transport for London publishes taxi and PHV statistics for London on a regular basis.

The Scottish Government also collects and publishes statistics on the number of licensed taxis and PHVs in Scotland in Scottish Transport Statistics. Scotland operates under a different licensing regime.

In Northern Ireland, similar statistics are published by the Driver & Vehicle Agency, and can be found on the Driver & Vehicle Agency Activity Statistics page.

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Taxi statistics

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