Deregulation Act 2015 and cross-border PHV hiring

What it is

The Deregulation Act 2015 is the UK statute that opened up cross-border hiring for private hire vehicles in England and Wales. It amended the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 so that operators, drivers and vehicles licensed by one council can lawfully carry out bookings dispatched to them in another council area, as long as the operator, the driver and the vehicle all share the same licensing authority. That is why Wolverhampton-licensed Uber drivers can lawfully pick up jobs in Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and many other English cities. The Act does not cover London (TfL is the sole PHV authority) and does not apply in Scotland (Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982).

How it applies to gig workers

For an Uber, Bolt or FREE NOW driver outside London in 2025-26, the Deregulation Act 2015 is the reason the "Wolverhampton badge" model exists. Wolverhampton's 2024-25 fees show a Hackney / PHV driver training programme and test fee around £40 to £50, with fast-track application options. Compare that to Birmingham, where the 2024-25 figures show £277 for a three-year PHV driver grant, £75 for the private hire verbal test, roughly £82 for the Group 2 medical and £93.50 for the DBS check, totalling more than £500 before training time. Wolverhampton's lower cost plus quicker processing is why so many drivers working in Birmingham, Manchester or Leeds carry Wolverhampton plates.

Take a 22 year old in Manchester targeting £42,000 turnover with £8,000 expected expenses in the 2025-26 tax year. Path one: Manchester City Council badge, full local fees, local knowledge test, local safeguarding training. Path two: Wolverhampton badge using the Deregulation Act 2015 route, cheaper tests, faster processing, then working Uber jobs in Manchester. Both are lawful if the operator (Uber), the vehicle and the driver all share Wolverhampton licensing. But the DfT's 16 November 2023 "Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing: Best Practice Guidance" pushes councils to use joint authorisation agreements so they can enforce against out-of-area drivers, and political pressure from trade bodies and MPs is rising. The Act is still live in April 2026, but the political ground is moving. GigKiln is not promising it stays as-is past 2026-27.

Important limits: the Deregulation Act 2015 only covers England and Wales. A Wolverhampton badge does not let you accept TfL private hire bookings in London, and it does not let you work Scottish taxi or private hire jobs regulated under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982. Cross-border work inside Scotland between, say, Glasgow and Edinburgh is not permitted in the same loose way; each council runs its own scheme under the 1982 Act. Drivers who switch council often find that a lapsed licence is treated as a new application on renewal, meaning full fees, fresh DBS, fresh medical and sometimes fresh knowledge test.

What you should do about it

• Decide where you plan to work most of the time before you pick a council — do not chase the cheapest badge if you do not want the hassle.
• Compare live fees, test formats, DBS, medical and processing times for your local council and for Wolverhampton before applying.
• If you are using a Wolverhampton badge in another city, stay up to date on local enforcement drives and DfT guidance.
• Never let a licence lapse without checking whether the council treats lapsed licences as new applications.
• Watch for any 2026-27 legislative review of cross-border hiring — the political pressure is real.

Last reviewed

19 April 2026

Internal links this page emits:

• Scottish licensing under the 1982 Act
• TfL SERU test explained
• Group 2 medical for PHV drivers
• FOI template for council licensing fees
• topographical assessment explained

Primary source used:

• C:\Users\thest\Documents\GigKiln\Research\Gap\G8.1-non-london-phv-licensing.md