PRIVATE hire drivers might be able to work for two different operators in Swindon if a new policy is agreed by councillors.

Swindon Borough Council’s licensing committee will be asked to consider allowing one driver to work for different operators after Mannington and Western councillor Jim Robbins has lodged the suggestion with the committee.

Last month he spoke at the scrutiny committee and said the current policy threw up anomalies.

He said he had spoken to a number of drivers who did a lot of journeys to air and seaports and it would be more economic, efficient and more environmentally friendly if after dropping off passengers, they could wait for and pick up passengers returning to Swindon, rather than another driver, working for another company, making a special trip to the same airport to pick them up.

At that meeting licensing manager Kathryn Ashton said that was against council policy of “one driver, one badge, one operator,” and that was necessary for public safety.

In his submission to the planning department, Coun Robbins said: “The current system would require a private hire driver to give notice to the operator that they are driving for, collect their green form, physically take it to another company and start driving for them.

“Can we review the council policy of one licence per driver to allow drivers to pay for multiple copies of their licence, so that they can drive for more than one operator? Drivers have suggested that they would be happy to pay up to £10 for each duplicate licence.”

The meeting starts at 5.30pm on March 14 in the civic offices.