£2 million fund launched to help Greater Manchester private hire drivers upgrade to greener vehicles

Greater Manchester has launched a £2 million fund to help private hire drivers licensed in the city-region to switch to cleaner vehicles as part of work to improve air quality.

The Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) Support Fund offers grants of up to £2,500 for drivers licensed by one of Greater Manchester’s 10 councils, including Stockport. The scheme will help drivers with older vehicles upgrade to Euro 4 or higher for petrol vehicles, Euro 6 for diesel vehicles, or zero-emission capable vehicles.

The fund has been developed in response to feedback from Greater Manchester’s taxi and private hire trade.

As well as supporting air quality improvements in the city-region, the fund also forms part of a wider plan to support locally licensed drivers to make taxis and private hire vehicles in Greater Manchester among the safest, cleanest and most trusted in the country. It includes continued calls on the government to change the law on ‘out of area’ licensing.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Bev Craig, said:

“Private hire drivers play a vital role helping to keep Greater Manchester moving every day, whether that’s getting people to work, healthcare appointments, school, or helping them get home safely at the end of the day.

“We’ve listened to the trade and we’re launching this fund to offer private hire taxi drivers practical financial support to help them move to cleaner, more modern vehicles, which is good for them, passengers and good for our environment.”

The PHV Support Fund complements Greater Manchester’s existing Hackney Support Fund. Launched in December 2025, it helps licensed black cab drivers upgrade to cleaner vehicles, with funding already committed to more than 400 locally licensed black cab drivers.

John Potts, a Stockport-licensed hackney cab driver, recently switched to a 100% electric Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle. He said:

 “Making the move to an electric vehicle has opened up a whole new career for me. It’s a pleasure to drive, passengers love it and it feels good to know it’s good for the environment too.

 “The biggest challenge for many drivers is the upfront cost of changing vehicles. Financial support like this made such a big difference to me and the whole process was really straightforward. I’d definitely encourage others to look into it and take advantage of the fund.”