London’s Black Cabs are an iconic symbol of the capital. Cabbies provide a vital service for Londoners and visitors, delivering convenience, safety and accessibility.

The first official licences for taxis were granted by the Commissioners of Scotland Yard, a parliamentary improvements commissioner for the public realm, in 1662. Almost 450-years later, and they’re still providing a service to Londoners.

Yet, the number of taxis licensed by TfL has declined significantly over the last decade. In 2013-14, 22,810 taxis were licensed to operate on London’s roads. This fell by over a third (34.5%) over the ten years to 2023-24.

If the number of Black Cabs in the capital continue to fall at its current rate, there will be no Black Cabs on London’s roads by 2045.

Ahead of Transport for London’s (TfL) 2025 update to its Taxi & Private Hire Action Plan, this briefing summarises key evidence and data into the state of the Black Cab trade to enable the Mayor, TfL, the taxi trade and its stakeholders to explore the challenges and opportunities facing the trade.

This work was initiated following a Centre for London roundtable. It was convened to explore the issues facing Black Cabs in London with leading industry experts, representatives, operators, manufacturers and policymakers including Deputy Mayor of London for Transport, Seb Dance and Elly Baker, Chair of the Transport Committee for the London Assembly.

This roundtable and briefing have shown there are tangible steps which can be taken to deliver a sustainable Black Cab trade. But we need to act fast to secure their future in the capital.

Recommendations

For a full list of recommendations, see page 28 of the report.

Finances

• The Mayor of London should lobby the Government to introduce a new interest-free loan scheme for drivers purchasing new taxis, matched to the retail price of the LEVC TXE.
• The Mayor of London should continue to lobby the Government to extend the Plug-In Taxi Grant further until at least March 2027, while also calling for the Grant to not be reduced in its grant total below £4,000 ahead of that date.
• The Mayor of London should continue to lobby the Government to extend the VAT exemption afforded to adapted motor vehicles for people with disabilities to London’s Black Cabs.

Operations

• The Mayor of London’s new Taxi & Private Hire Action Plan should establish a ten-year strategy on the retention and recruitment of taxi drivers, setting out clear ambitions for maintaining and expanding the number of licensed drivers.
• The Mayor of London should instruct Transport for London to identify a clear role for Black Cab journeys in London, setting out clearly where taxis fit in the 80/20 model of journeys taken by sustainable modes of transport (public transit, walking and cycling) compared to private car journeys.
• To improve the regulation, management and operations of taxi services in the capital, Transport for London and trade partners should commit to establishing improved methods for data sharing and travel insights from journeys taken across London.

Regulations

• The Mayor of London should instruct Transport for London to reform the Knowledge of London examination to be less complex, simpler to study, assess and complete, and to reflect the reality of modern taxi operations.
• The Mayor of London should establish a new Taxi and Private Hire Industry Committee as a liaison body to advise on the implementation of the new Taxi & Private Hire Action Plan.

The Black Cab trade

• The Black Cab trade should engage with the Mayor of London to deliver a well-informed, cooperative and effective recruitment strategy for new Black Cab drivers.
• Black Cab drivers and industry organisations should commit to working in partnership with Transport for London to share operational, licensing and vehicle data.
• The Black Cab trade should work proactively with the Mayor of London to inform smart traffic management policies which increase access for taxis, while enabling improved accessibility of the public realm.
• The Black Cab trade should be at the heart of the process for reforming The Knowledge of London, working constructively with the Mayor of London to promote the taxi trade as a viable career path in a revitalised Knowledge framework.