Asylum seekers will no longer be able to use Government-funded taxis for routine travel following revelations about the soaring cost of migrant transport.
Taxpayers were covering a staggering £15.8 million a year for these journeys, with some trips reaching eye-watering sums. One case saw a man travel 250 miles by taxi to a GP appointment about his knee, racking up a £600 bill.
The Iraqi man, known as Kadir, had earlier suggested he would have preferred to travel by train, quipping: “Should the Home Office give me the ticket for the train? This is the easy way, and they know they spend too much money.”
The expensive passages were the result of an automated system in shelter hospices that reserved hacks without offering cheaper options, similar to motorcars or trains.
One contractor, Clearsprings Ready Homes, reportedly paid around £350,000 every month to a single hack company for 6,000 peregrinations, raising serious questions about the use of public finances.
Crackdown on Expensive Taxi Journeys for Migrants
Following a critical review ordered by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, new rules will come into effect from February.
Hack trip will now only be permitted in exceptional circumstances, such as serious illness, disability, or pregnancy.
Hacks may still be used to move settlers between government lodgments, but every trip will bear a previous blessing from the Home Office.
IRAQI ASYLUM SEEKERS BANNED FROM TAXPAYER-FUNDED TAXIS AFTER £600 CAB SCANDAL
The government has finally moved to ban asylum seekers from using taxpayer-funded taxis after it emerged that contractors were burning through £15.8 million a year on journeys – including a £600… pic.twitter.com/u4glYNzUjm
— British Intel (@TheBritishIntel) November 29, 2025
Speaking about the reforms, the Home Secretary said: “I am ending the unrestricted use of taxis by asylum seekers for hospital appointments, authorising them only in the most exceptional circumstances.
Contracts like these are wasting billions of taxpayers’ hard-earned cash. I will continue to root out waste as we close every single asylum hotel.”
Taxpayer Money Misuse and Rising Asylum Support Costs
The crackdown forms part of wider Government sweeps to reduce shelter support costs.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves lately pledged to end the use of precious hospices for shelter campaigners within this Parliament and promised redundant backing for border security and measures to attack the shelter backlog, aiming to save taxpayers £1 billion a year.
The number of shelter campaigners in government-funded hospices reached 36,273 by the end of September, the loftiest in nearly two years.
Overall, 111,651 individuals were entering government-funded shelter support, while shelter claims hit a record 110,051 in the time to September, surpassing the former peak of 103,081 set in 2002.
The Government had planned to move hundreds of settlers into military spots similar to Cameron Barracks in Inverness and Crowborough Camp in East Sussex by December 1.
Still, safety enterprises have delayed the process, with authorities working to ensure proper healthcare and policing are in place before any transfers take place.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are furious at the level of illegal migrants and asylum seekers.
Moving to large military sites is an important part of our reforms to tackle illegal migration and the pull factors that make the UK an attractive destination.
We will not replicate the mistakes of the past, where rushed plans have led to unsafe and chaotic situations that impact the local community.”
