Questions for the Mayor and Department for Transport on London’s Taxi Industry, the Knowledge, LEVC’s TX, Private Hire Exploitation, and the Gig Economy
The Club like many cab drivers have had main concerns over the past decade on the severe mismanagement of the Cab trade by those who have been entrusted with our future, Transport for London and our Mayor.
Following on from the recent Taxi & PH plan meeting at City Hall, Mark White, LCDC Committee member has written to GLA members, Heidi Alexander and his local MP John McDonnell to raise major concerns we have.
Dear Sir Sadiq,
You continuously tell us your dad was a bus driver. Well, my old man was a London cab driver and if he could see what is going on with the cab trade he would turn in his grave.
My Dad drove a taxi for over 40 years (I’ve also done 40 years now). He believed in the honour of the job, the value of service, and the importance of doing things properly. He spent years learning the Knowledge, bought his taxi outright, and worked long hours to support his family. Like thousands before and after him, he did this because he believed London looked after those who did things the right way.
But under your mayoralty, the taxi trade my father was proud to be part of is being dismantled. And now—finally—you seem to admit that something is seriously wrong.
At a recent Mayor’s Question Time, you said the Taxi and Private Hire licensing system may not be “fit for purpose”. You acknowledged that the delays drivers face are “heartbreaking.” You confirmed that drivers themselves are not at fault. You claimed to have sent in a senior TfL executive to “get a grip.”
These are extraordinary admissions for a sitting Mayor. But they beg an even more extraordinary question:
If Transport for London’s system has failed—then who is to blame? Your officers? Or you?
Because we know this decline didn’t start with you—but under your leadership, it has accelerated beyond recognition.
A System Buried by Officers—And One That May Yet Bury You
In 2009, TfL’s own Chief Operating Officer, Jeroen Weimar, warned that the financial model for taxis would collapse unless PHV growth was controlled and licensing standards were raised across the board. His Private Hire Strategy said:
“Any changes to the operating conditions of the PHV industry need to be considered in the context of the impact on the taxi market. The financial returns in the taxi industry need to reflect the relatively high up-front investment and higher operating costs in order to maintain a viable ply-for-hire taxi service.”
That strategy was shelved. The message was ignored. And some of the officers responsible remained in place.
More than a decade later, those same officers continue to shape policy—without ever being held accountable for the outcomes:
Christina Calderato, Director of Transport Strategy & Policy
Helen Chapman, Director of Licensing and Regulation
Siwan Hayward, Director of Compliance and Enforcement
Alex Williams, Chief Customer and Strategy Officer – apparently his dad drove a taxi…🤦🏻♂️
These individuals have failed to protect the licensed taxi trade from economic collapse, failed to raise PHV standards in line with public safety expectations, and failed to deliver a credible action plan for either sector.
They buried the 2009 strategy. They buried the 2010 consultation reforms. And they will bury you too, politically, if you continue to defend the indefensible.
A Promise to Level the Playing Field—Turned Into a Pit
In an interview with Norman Smith driving a taxi, you told the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire show (before you were Mayor) that the taxi trade needed a “level playing field.” But under your administration, the figures speak for themselves:
Black cab numbers have dropped from 25,000 to under 15,000
TfL-licensed PHVs have exploded to over 107,000
That’s a 7-to-1 imbalance—in what is supposed to be a regulated two-tier system
CCTV in PHVs remains optional, despite repeated calls for mandatory safeguarding measures since 2014
PH companies (like Uber and Bolt) have consistently lobbied against safety reforms—and won
Your own claim to be “the greenest mayor ever” is undermined by the fact that the vast majority of PHVs are still fossil-fuel vehicles—flooding our roads, idling at kerbsides, and increasing emissions. The PH Fleet using fossil fuel virtually doubled whilst the taxi fleet was decreased and devastated. Meanwhile, zero-emission Black Cabs are now being priced out of existence by licensing costs, vehicle requirements, and lack of policy support.
Heathrow’s ‘No More Traffic’ Pledge While Monetising PHVs
Perhaps nowhere is the contradiction more apparent than at Heathrow Airport. There, HAL has signed up to a ‘No More Traffic’ pledge—supposedly to reduce road congestion and meet climate targets, in order to achieve a third runway and expansion.
And yet:
Heathrow has fully monetised the PHV model, allowing ride-hail apps to dominate pick-up traffic
Private Hire modal share at Heathrow has risen by over 20% in the last year alone
It is not just the taxi trade that is losing confidence. The public can see the contradictions too.
Look at the Questions Being Asked—Even Your Assembly Knows Something’s Wrong
Assembly Members from all parties have now submitted hundreds of questions on Taxi and PHV regulation—questions about licensing delays, enforcement failures, driver safety, cross-border hiring, Heathrow access, vehicle standards, and modal share distortion.
The answers—when they come—are vague, recycled, or evasive.
TfL’s insistence that PHVs operate on a “pre-booked” model while using satellite navigation on an app ignores the lived experience of passengers, drivers, and the public alike – it’s virtually plying for hire. Sat nav and apps do not distinguish between taxis and PHVs, plying for hire or pre-booked. Nor do customers. Nor, increasingly, does the law.
If PHVs can operate on demand using apps, then the two-tier system no longer exists in practice. So why are taxis being held to a different—and far more costly—standard?
The Questions That Demand Answers
You have now admitted that the Taxi and PH licensing department has failed.
So we ask again:
Who is to blame—your officers, or you?
Why are the same people who created this crisis still in charge?
Why has no effort been made to level the market in favour of quality, accessibility, and public safety?
Why are taxis forced to meet expensive requirements that PHVs are exempt from—even when they serve the same streets, same passengers, and same platforms?
What Must Be Done Now
We ask for the following urgent actions:
Immediate publication of the identity, remit, and timeline of the senior executive sent to “get a grip” on Taxi & PH licensing
A formal review of the turning circle, Metropolitan Conditions of Fitness, and their cost impact on the taxi trade
Mandatory practical driving tests and CCTV installation for all PHV drivers
A public audit of TfL’s enforcement strategy, compliance activity, and Heathrow operations
A new Taxi and PHV Plan—produced independently of the officers who have presided over failure
Silence can no longer be hidden behind the phrase “officers are drafting a response.” London’s taxi trade has already paid the price.
So once more, Mr Mayor:
If you agree the system has failed, then who will you hold accountable?
