Wolverhampton families urged to check prom car licences

Families booking prom transport in Wolverhampton are being urged to check that luxury hire vehicles and drivers are properly licensed before pupils travel this summer.

City of Wolverhampton Council issued the warning after a Rolls-Royce Ghost sent to the city by Walsall-based firm Chauffeur Local was seized during a test purchase operation last summer. When West Midlands Police stopped the vehicle, the driver was found not to have valid insurance.

Parents and carers are being told to ask hire firms which authority licenses them, then confirm that information before paying a deposit or allowing children to travel. The checks depend on the number of passenger seats in the vehicle.

Licence checks before prom bookings

For vehicles with fewer than nine passenger seats, a company hiring out a vehicle with a driver may need a private hire vehicle operator licence from City of Wolverhampton Council or another licensing authority.

Families should ask the company whether it is licensed, which local authority issued the licence, and whether the named operator, vehicle and driver details can be verified. The council says parents can also use online licence registers to check licensed operators.

For limousines with a driver and nine or more passenger seats, the company must hold a public service vehicle operator licence, known as a PSV licence. These licences are issued by a Traffic Commissioner and can be checked through the public operator records for lorry and bus operators.

If a company cannot show a relevant licence, the council says it may be operating illegally. That can leave families exposed to risks around insurance, driver checks and vehicle safety.

Rolls-Royce seized during enforcement operation

The warning follows enforcement action involving a Rolls-Royce Ghost dispatched to Wolverhampton by Chauffeur Local during a council test purchase last summer.

Police stopped the vehicle and found the driver did not have valid insurance. He was prosecuted by police, received six penalty points on his driving licence and was given a financial penalty for the insurance offence.

A council investigation then found Chauffeur Local had been operating without the legally required private hire operator licence. The company appeared at Dudley Magistrates’ Court in March 2026, pleaded guilty and was fined £1,200 for operating a vehicle in a controlled district as a private hire vehicle without a current licence for the vehicle.

The case is being used by the council as a warning because prom bookings often involve higher-value vehicles, limousines and performance cars marketed directly to families. Not every company advertising those services has the licence needed for the type of vehicle and journey being offered.

Prom season enforcement across the region

A number of vehicles were seized during last summer’s operation. City of Wolverhampton Council says further targeted enforcement will take place during the upcoming prom season with West Midlands Police and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.

The council’s licensing team is also working with schools and other councils in the region to alert families to potential risks. The message is aimed at parents and carers arranging transport for pupils’ parties, where several families may share the cost and assume the company has already been checked.

Councillor Qaiser Azeem, Cabinet Member for Resident Services at City of Wolverhampton Council, said prom nights should be safe and memorable, but hiring a vehicle or driver that has not been properly checked and licensed could put children and their friends at risk.

Reporting suspected illegal operators

Residents who believe a company is operating without the correct licence can report concerns to City of Wolverhampton Council through its taxi complaints, compliments and suggestions service, or by calling 01902 55 TAXI (01902 558294).

The council said it will continue working with enforcement partners to support public safety and take action against unlicensed and non-compliant operators.

Source: City of Wolverhampton Council