London Taxi Action Plan

Neil Garratt AM moved, and Keith Prince AM seconded the following motion:

“This Assembly notes that London's iconic licensed taxis are undergoing a period of transition as they work to become a zero-emission fleet and commends the fact that 60 per cent of London’s iconic black cabs are now zero emission capable (ZEC), electric, wheelchair accessible taxis. The Assembly applauds the self-employed drivers and small businesses that make up the taxi trade, who have invested more than £560 million in these new vehicles to support the achievement of London's climate targets and help clean up our air.
 

This Assembly recognises that the London taxi trade faces many new barriers, which, without action from the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) and support from central government, could derail this progress and make it impossible for the remaining 40 per cent to make this important transition and achieve the Mayor’s ambition to have the world’s greenest taxi fleet. The Assembly notes that since the electric taxi was first introduced in 2018, the cost of the vehicle, interest rates for finance packages, insurance and electric charging have all increased significantly, whilst grants and incentives to support the transition have dwindled, with the removal of the Taxi Delicensing Scheme, reduction in the Government’s Taxi Plug-In Grant and other incentives such as grants for home charger installation, making it far more challenging for the remaining drivers to adopt a ZEC taxi.

This Assembly also notes that taxi driver and vehicle numbers are already declining and without swift intervention there is a danger that over the next two years this decline is hastened as over a thousand older taxis hit their age limit, with many drivers left without a viable route to replace them, which would prove devastating for drivers who stand to lose their livelihoods and would negatively impact the travelling public who rely on taxis, including disabled people and Taxicard users.

This Assembly urges the Mayor and TfL to recognise the serious challenges facing London's licensed taxi trade at this pivotal juncture and to bring forward a robust and targeted Taxi action plan as soon as possible, which introduces measures to support self employed taxi drivers and fleets complete the transition to electric taxis and safeguards the future of London's iconic black cabs.

This Assembly believes such a plan must include:

a) Specific plans for timely action to continue to modernise the Knowledge of London, ensuring it remains the gold standard whilst making it more accessible and appealing to a new generation of drivers;

b) A new Taxi Delicensing Scheme or other package of targeted financial support to help drivers whose older diesel vehicles are due to hit their age limit afford a new ZEC taxi and keep them driving cabs;

c) A commitment to lobby the Government to extend the Plug-in Taxi Grant which is only guaranteed until the end of March 2025, and call for the Treasury to extend the VAT exemption for wheelchair accessible vehicles to purpose built, wheelchair accessible taxis, and;

d) Clear guidance on the importance of licensed taxi access and the vital role taxis play within London’s transport network, giving taxis the same access as buses to traffic management schemes, whether TfL-run or TfL-funded, and to encourage greater consistency in how these schemes are implemented across the Greater London Authority area."

Following debate and upon being put to the vote, the motion was agreed with 20 votes in favour and 3 against.