Taxi & Private Hire plans in the spotlight
The number of taxis licensed by Transport for London (TfL) has declined significantly over the last decade.1
In 2013-14, 22,810 taxis were licensed to operate on London’s roads, but this fell by 34.5 per cent over the ten years to 2023-24. The cost of purchasing and operating a taxi as well as barriers associated with The Knowledge are some of the reasons for this decline.
The number of private hire operators in London has also significantly declined from 3,038 in 2013-14 to 1,740 in 2023-24. The taxi and private hire sector has been changed irreversibly by the advent of app-only companies, and concerns have been raised by organisations representing drivers over large operator’s use of big data and algorithms and the effect this has on driver’s welfare, employment issues and road safety.
In March, TfL published its long-awaited Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan 2025,2 which among its four aims states that TfL intends to make being a taxi or private hire driver an attractive career. The plan has been criticised by some groups representing taxi drivers,3 and by groups representing the private hire industry.4
Tomorrow, the London Assembly Transport Committee will hold the first of two meetings looking into whether TfL’s action plan delivers on its promises.
The Committee will ask representatives of taxi and private hire drivers if TfL's action plan addresses the challenges facing drivers and the sector as a whole.
The guests are:
Panel 1: 10am – 11.15am
- Steve Garelick, Regional Organiser, GMB
- Abdurzak Hadi, London Chair, App Drivers & Couriers Union (ADCU)
- Alex Marshall, President, IWGB
Panel 2: 11.30am – 1pm
- Steve McNamara, General Secretary, Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA)
- Grant Davis, Chairman, London Cab Drivers Club (LCDC)
- Trevor Merralls, General Secretary, United Cabbies Group
- Peter Bond, Workplace Rep, Unite the Union
The meeting will take place on Thursday 15 May at 10am in the Chamber at City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, E16 1ZE.
Media and members of the public are invited to attend.
The meeting can also be viewed LIVE or later via webcast or YouTube.
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Notes to editors
- Centre for London, The Future of London’s Black Cab Trade: Delivering a sustainable taxi trade for London, 19 March 2025
- TfL: Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan 2025
- Taxi Newspaper: Taxi 583
- Licenced Private Hire Car Association: London Mayor’s 2025 Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan
- Read the agenda in full
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor
- Elly Baker AM, Chair of the Transport Committee, is available for interview
- Find out more about the work of the Transport Committee
For more details, please contact Alison Bell on 07887 832 918 or at [email protected]. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer.