England’s private hire operator licence map shows hundreds of licences in relatively small councils — raising questions about operator “licence shopping” alongside driver cross-border working.
trade reporting analysis of DfT data for 1 April 2026 puts TfL first with 1,843 operator licences, then Castle Point (554), Wolverhampton (515), Hertsmere (467) and South Gloucestershire (351). England has about 19,000 operator licences (+17% since 2024); the top ten authorities hold roughly 26%. Many licences may be sole-trader operators taking their own bookings, not large fleets. Hertsmere warns ~16-week processing and requires operating from the borough. Triple licensing still lets an operator–driver–vehicle set licensed in one area work elsewhere once a booking is accepted — a structure TfL and ministers say needs legislative reform.