The Summer 2026 issue of MOGONEWS: driverless taxis and what they mean for licensing, the truth about sustainable materials, new tobacco legislation, and real results from Rochdale, Somerset and Stevenage.

Most licensing teams don't sit down and work out the full cost of getting plates and signage to drivers. Why would they? It just gets done, by the people who are already there, using the processes already in place. But when councils do work through the numbers, the picture is often more significant than expected. Not just in money, but in time. The real cost isn't the product A vehicle licence plate costs a few pounds to manufacture. That part is straightforward. What's harde

Ghost plates, sometimes referred to as stealth plates, are an increasing concern for enforcement agencies, licensing authorities, and regulators across the UK. Designed to evade detection from cameras and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems, ghost plates allow vehicles to avoid identification by speed cameras, parking enforcement, congestion charging systems, ULEZ monitoring, airport drop-off cameras and bus lane cameras. While they may appear normal to the nake

Sustainability has undoubtedly become one of the most talked-about, and most misunderstood, topics in modern manufacturing. Across the sector, particularly among small and medium-sized enterprises, sustainability is often framed as a destination rather than a direction. A label to achieve. A phrase to adopt. A promise to make. But when sustainability is reduced to a soundbite, the result is rarely meaningful change. The pressure on SMEs Manufacturing SMEs operate in a complex

The latest issue of MOGO Newsletter | Spring Edition is now available, bringing together some of the key conversations currently shaping taxi licensing and local authority operations across the UK. In this Spring 2026 edition we explore several topics that licensing teams are increasingly facing, including the growing compliance challenge surrounding ghost plates, the pressures many councils are experiencing as workloads increase, and how sustainability in manufacturing is of

Across the public sector, sustainability targets are no longer a distant goal. They are an active requirement built into every procurement brief, policy review, and departmental audit. For Licensing Teams, the challenge is clear: how can we reduce waste, improve environmental performance, and still maintain full compliance? Taxi and private hire licensing may seem a small piece of the wider sustainability puzzle, yet the materials used for licence plates, signage, and documen

Within every Licensing Department, time has quietly become the rarest commodity. Between plate renewals, new driver applications, compliance checks, and communication with enforcement teams, admin hours are stretched further than ever. Add in the seasonal spikes of driver renewals, and even the most efficient licensing officers find themselves chasing paper trails, manually cross-checking data, and managing fulfilment backlogs that can take days to clear. But what if one part

For local authorities, every contract now carries two simultaneous responsibilities: to serve the public efficiently, and to deliver procured services in a way that supports wider environmental goals. Licensing teams may feel the squeeze from application volumes, footfall, and regulation — but procurement decisions around plate issuing and holder provisioning offer a strategic opportunity to move the sustainability dial. At MOGO, we believe sustainability is more than a check

Every Licensing Service develops its own way of working over time. Systems evolve, processes get layered on top of each other, and teams find a rhythm that suits their size, their geography and the expectations of local drivers. Plate issuing is one of the clearest examples of this. For some councils, the in-house model remains familiar and totally manageable. For others, the rising volume of applications and the constant pull on officer time has made that approach harder to

Across the country, Licensing Teams are facing a reality that has quietly shifted underneath them. Taxi and private hire activity continues to increase, digital applications have created new expectations from drivers, and service demands have become more complex. Yet most teams are operating with the same number of officers they had five or even ten years ago. The pressure has built gradually, and many councils now find themselves in a position where the day-to-day work is al

Why UK Local Authorities Are Rethinking Taxi, PHV, and Mobility Licensing for a Digital Age Across the UK, local authorities are at the heart of licensing, ensuring that drivers, vehicles, and operators meet the standards required to protect public safety and maintain trust. But in 2025, this responsibility is evolving rapidly. With increasing pressure from rising demand, growing scrutiny over “licence shopping,” and mounting administrative costs, many licensing officers