The City of Edinburgh Council has opened a public consultation on the number of private hire cars in the city. It is part of an "overprovision" assessment that will help decide whether the council should limit new private hire car licences. The consultation opened on 13 October and closes on 3 November 2026. Drivers, operators, passengers and anyone else with an interest can take part through the council's Consultation Hub. Edinburgh already caps the number of taxis, but there is no limit on private hire cars at the moment. The assessment follows a petition in August 2025, backed by 1,228 people and six businesses, which said there were about 1,100 active black cabs and more than 3,000 private hire cars in the city. The council's Regulatory Committee agreed to commission the study but did not pause new licences. The findings will go back to the Regulatory Committee. Under Scottish law, an overprovision limit would only apply to new private hire car licence applications. Drivers who already hold a licence would not automatically lose it.