"The rules for taxis date back to 1847 and still refer to horse-drawn carriages. The rules for PHVs were set down in 1976 and are now out-of-date due to the growth of mobile phones and the internet. The age of this legislation and the complexity of case law accumulated in this area makes the need to overhaul the law on these matters irresistible.
The Government wants to refer the matter to the Law Commission. We believe a more effective approach would be for the Government to work with the trade, local authorities and user groups to develop and bring forward new legislation within the lifetime of this parliament."