Why so many private hire vehicles across the UK carry Wolverhampton, Rossendale or Sefton plates. The law behind it, what the 2022 Safeguarding Act changed, and what it means for drivers after a non-fault accident.
Why you're seeing Wolverhampton plates on cars 200 miles from Wolverhampton
Walk down a high street in Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol or central London and you'll spot private hire vehicles carrying plates issued by councils hundreds of miles from where the car is actually working. Wolverhampton plates in Glasgow. Rossendale plates in Bradford. Sefton plates in Sheffield.
This isn't unusual any more. It's the new normal in UK PHV licensing. There's an ongoing political debate about whether it should change, but the underlying mechanics are simpler than the headlines suggest.
This piece is a plain-English explainer for drivers, operators, and anyone trying to understand what they're seeing on the road. We'll cover the law, the practical reality, and what it means if you have an accident in a car licensed by an authority a long way from where the crash happened.
The Deregulation Act 2015, the rule change that opened the door
Before 2015, a private hire vehicle generally had to be operated in the area where it was licensed. The Deregulation Act 2015 changed the rules on sub-contracting between operators in different licensing areas, which combined with the existing framework (driver, vehicle and operator can each be licensed by different authorities) to create what we now call cross-border PHV working.
In practice, a licensed operator can take a booking and pass it to another operator licensed by a different authority. The driver and vehicle remain plated by their own (sometimes distant) council. The booking is fulfilled locally to the passenger, while the regulatory connection sits hundreds of miles away.
That change, layered onto an already permissive licensing framework, made it economically rational for some councils to license drivers nationally. Lower fees, faster turnaround, online application processes. Drivers came from across the country.
Why Wolverhampton, Rossendale and Sefton became high-volume licensing authorities
Three councils ended up taking on a disproportionate share of national PHV licensing. The reasons are practical, not conspiratorial.
Wolverhampton built an online application system, processed quickly, with competitive fees. The volume followed. By the mid-2020s the council was licensing tens of thousands of drivers, with a significant share working outside the West Midlands.
Rossendale and Sefton ran similar high-throughput models. Reported figures suggest roughly half of Rossendale's licensed drivers were working in neighbouring boroughs by the mid-2020s.
None of this is hidden. Drivers and operators chose these authorities for legitimate commercial reasons. Councils accepted the applications because the law allowed them to. Whether the law should allow them to is the question being asked now.
Is it legal? Short answer yes, longer answer with caveats
Yes. As the law stands, a driver licensed by Wolverhampton can take bookings, through an operator also licensed by Wolverhampton, to drive passengers in Manchester. The framework permits it. There is no legal requirement that driver, vehicle or passenger be in the licensing area at any point.
The caveats are these.
Enforcement by the local licensing authority where the vehicle is actually working is limited. Officers in Glasgow can't easily inspect a Wolverhampton-plated vehicle that isn't on their books.
Local standards vary. A driver licensed by one authority may have been assessed against different safeguarding criteria, knowledge tests, or vehicle standards than the area they're working in expects.
These caveats are the heart of the political debate. They're not arguments against cross-border licensing being legal. They're arguments about whether what's legal is also adequate.
What the 2022 Safeguarding Act changed, and what's still on the table
The Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Safeguarding and Road Safety) Act 2022 received Royal Assent on 31 March 2022. It addresses one specific gap, information sharing between licensing authorities.
In summary, the Act creates:
- A mandatory National Register for Revocations, Refusals and Suspensions (NR3S), operated by the National Anti-Fraud Network
- A duty on licensing authorities to record safeguarding-related licence refusals, refusals to renew, suspensions, and revocations within five working days
- A mandatory database search before any new driver licence is granted or renewed
- A duty on any authority that holds safeguarding-relevant information about a driver licensed elsewhere to share it with the issuing authority, and a corresponding duty on the receiving authority to consider whether to act
The Act doesn't end cross-border licensing. It closes the specific gap where a driver refused or revoked by one authority could simply re-apply elsewhere without that history following them. It's a meaningful tightening, not a structural change.
What's still on the table is wider. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 has committed the government to introducing minimum national standards for drivers, operators and licensing authorities. The DfT has indicated those standards will be developed through consultation in 2026, focusing first on safeguarding and disability access. Several combined authorities, including Greater Manchester, have been actively pushing for further change.
The direction of travel is towards more uniformity. The pace is the question.
What it means if you're plated out of area and have a non-fault accident
This is where most of our readers actually meet the cross-border question. They're plated by Wolverhampton, Rossendale or Sefton, they're working a long way from the issuing authority, and they've just been in a non-fault accident.
Three practical points.
Your replacement vehicle still has to be plated for hire and reward. A standard insurance courtesy car is not a substitute. It's not licensed for commercial passenger work and the insurance on it doesn't cover commercial use.
The plate on the replacement vehicle needs to match your own plate, not the city you happen to be working in. If you're plated by Wolverhampton and the accident happens in Manchester, you still need a Wolverhampton-plated replacement. A good credit hire provider will source a replacement that mirrors your own licensing, so you can carry on working under the same cross-border arrangement.
Speed matters more than perfection. Same-day or next-day delivery of a workable plated like-for-like usually beats a longer wait for an exact match. Talk to your credit hire provider about the trade-offs on your specific case.
For the full step-by-step on what to do in the first 60 minutes after an accident, see Off The Road, Off The Meter.
Frequently asked questions
Can I work anywhere in the UK with a Wolverhampton plate?
In practice, yes, where you take bookings through an operator also licensed by Wolverhampton or through compliant sub-contracted routes. The Deregulation Act 2015 framework permits cross-border PHV working. Specific app or operator rules may apply on top.
Why did Wolverhampton, Rossendale and Sefton become so popular for PHV licensing?
Competitive fees, fast online application processes, and high-throughput administrative systems. Drivers chose these authorities for commercial reasons. The law allows it.
If I have an accident out of area, will I get a plated replacement?
Yes, where you arrange a credit hire replacement through a provider with a properly plated fleet. Confirm on the first call that the replacement will be plated for hire and reward and insured for commercial use.
Do operators (Uber, Bolt, local apps) care which authority I'm licensed with?
Some do, some don't. Most major apps accept drivers licensed by any UK authority subject to their own onboarding checks. Local independent operators may have stricter requirements. Check directly with the operator you intend to drive for.
Is the cross-border licensing model going to change?
There's a clear regulatory direction towards more uniformity. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 has committed the government to minimum national standards, with consultation through 2026 on safeguarding and disability access. Whether the structural framework that allows cross-border licensing will change is a separate question, and currently unanswered.
Where PurpleSquare fits
We work with cross-border plated drivers every week. Our plated fleet is set up to handle the practical reality of how UK PHV work happens, not how it used to happen ten years ago. Whatever authority you're licensed by, if you've had a non-fault accident, we can get a plated like-for-like with you the same day where possible.
Call 01606 662300 and we'll talk through your specific licensing setup and route.
If you've had a non-fault accident, call 01606 662300. Plated like-for-like replacement, cross-border-friendly, no upfront cost on non-fault claims.
About the author
Jake Ellison
Head of Fleet Solutions, PurpleSquare Hire
Jake leads fleet accident management at PurpleSquare Hire, working with operators across logistics, taxi, and commercial vehicles. He writes about what good outsourced fleet accident management should deliver, and the red flags that point to a poor partner.
More from Jake →