Taxi drivers have been ‘shut out entirely’ during discussions around the implementation of a controversial policy to stop licensing new diesel vehicles in Slough, it has been claimed.
Slough Borough Council was looking to stop granting new licences for diesel fuelled private hire and Hackney carriage drivers from January 1, 2026, as part of an already approved 2023 policy.
Back in 2018, the council proposed that, by January 2025, both new licences and renewals must be for Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEV) as part of its low emission strategy.
But in 2023, after the pandemic hit the industry hard, the 2018 Private Hire and Hackney Carriage Vehicle Policy was amended and approved to relax the restrictions on taxi drivers.
The amended policy focused only on new licences rather than renewals.
Under the policy, existing diesel vehicles can remain licensed until the vehicle reaches nine years old, as long as they are roadworthy.
But taxi drivers published a petition in November last year, calling on the council to delay this diesel cut-off further until a consultation with the trade was completed.
The petition quickly raised 1,517 signatures and was discussed at a full council meeting on Thursday (January 29).
Ibrar Khan, chairman of the private hire drivers’ association, told the Observatory House meeting that, from the outside, it looked as if the trade most affected by the policy was ‘shut out entirely’.
Mr Khan said: “This policy was adopted before COVID, before the cost-of-living crisis, before the energy crisis and before the collapse of footfall in Slough.
“Office buildings are empty, high streets are closed, and demand for taxi services has fundamentally changed.
“Yet drivers are being asked to absorb a diesel ban from January 1, 2026, strict vehicle age limits, high renewal and vehicle change fees and the cost of switching vehicles in the middle of an affordability crisis.
“For the fact that taxi drivers had to rely on a petition to simply be heard speaks volumes about how broke the process has become.”
Mr Khan said that in July last year, he raised concerns about the diesel cut-off, the licensing policy and the ‘escalating costs’ on drivers at a public meeting.
He added that, at the time, Councillor Ejaz Ahmed (Con, Slough Central) said a working group would be set up to review the policy before it was fully implemented, but no working group was ‘ever set up’.
A licensing meeting to review the policy was also scheduled in October 2025, but this was subsequently cancelled.
Cllr Ahmed said: “I first became aware of the concerns [around] this policy late in October. …. and I escalated that matter immediately.
“Since then, I have spoken directly to drivers…. making sure that their concerns are properly heard and understood.
“The council has a legal responsibility to tackle the air quality challenges under the air quality action plan.
“We have a clear duty to reduce emissions in order to go back to public health.”
Councillor Dexter Smith (Con, Colnbrook and Poyle) added that this is not a ‘blanket ban’ on all taxis, but rather on older vehicles.
He said the start date of the diesel cut off was already pushed back from January 2025 to January 2026.
According to a report presented to councillors, there are currently 370 standard vehicles in the fleet, of which 123 are diesel fuelled. Only 24 of those will be nine years old in 2026.
But some councillors echoed the concerns of the petitioners and said taxi drivers are ‘the backbone of our community’.
Cllr Harjinder Gahir (Lab, Wexham Court) said: “The taxi business is not a gold mining thing; it’s a very hard-working thing.”
Cllr Waqas Sabah (Lib Dem, Farnham) agreed and said cancelling the licensing committee meeting that was due to take place in October was a ‘missed opportunity’ for scrutiny and engagement.
He was met with applause from the public gallery when he said it was ‘deeply concerning’ that it took a petition from taxi drivers to get their voices heard.
Cllr Sabah said: “Taxi drivers are the backbone of our community that provide an essential service, often in difficult conditions, and without them many of us would be stranded or unable to access wider services when we need them the most.”
A review of the Vehicle Age policy will be considered at a licensing meeting next week on Wednesday (February 11).
