Asylum seekers in the UK will be banned from taking taxis to medical appointments from February, following a government crackdown on costs. The Home Office currently spends approximately £15.8 million a year on the service.
From February, asylum seekers will be required to use alternative transport such as buses for all medical trips, regardless of urgency. The government has rejected pleas from campaigners to provide free access to public transport, a request that has been made for several years.
The ban follows a government review triggered by a BBC investigation that revealed instances of long-distance taxi journeys, including one asylum seeker who travelled 250 miles at a cost of £600 to see a GP. Such long trips often occur when asylum seekers are moved to different areas, sometimes in the middle of treatments like chemotherapy.
Campaign groups, including Citizens UK, have long advocated for bus passes to avoid reliance on taxis for journeys that are too far to walk. A pilot scheme for free bus travel was launched in Oxford in November 2024, and Scotland has recommitted to providing free bus travel by 2026.
The government stated that taxis will be “strictly limited to exceptional, evidenced cases”, such as physical disabilities, serious or chronic illnesses, or pregnancy-related needs. However, Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, expressed concern that “the threshold will be set too high”, noting inconsistencies in how vulnerability is assessed.
The measures are part of a broader crackdown on waste in asylum contracts, which the government claims has already saved over £74 million in accommodation costs. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “I am ending the unrestricted use of taxis by asylum seekers for hospital appointments, authorising them only in the most exceptional circumstances.” The government also plans to increase removals of illegal migrants and close all asylum hotels by the end of this parliament.
