Transport for London (TfL) has set out a new plan to enable the capital’s taxi trade and private hire industry to meet the challenges of the next five years.
The new Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan sets out a number of actions that TfL hope will help to make positive changes in these industries.
These include:
- Ensuring that taxis continue to have access to bus lanes wherever possible and encouraging boroughs to grant taxis access to bus lanes on borough roads
- Working with the government to secure greater powers to make taxi and private hire services even safer, including powers to tackle cross-border hiring
- Powers to issue fixed penalty notices and powers to regulate taxi booking companies
- Improving the training offered to taxi and private hire drivers
- Making further amendments to The Knowledge to help attract new people to join the taxi trade
- Making the case to the government to continue the plug-in taxi grant, reduce VAT from public charge points and remove VAT from the purchase of taxis and designated wheelchair accessible private hire vehicles
- Reviewing the optimum allocation, position and design of taxi ranks, including at public transport hubs, to ensure that taxi ranks are available for where needed
TfL reports that the new plan is the result of wide-ranging engagement with stakeholders, the taxi trade and the private hire industry, as well as customer groups.
The transport body will now work with the taxi trade and private hire industry, local councils and passenger groups to deliver the plan.
TfL’s director of strategy Christina Calderato said: “London’s taxi trade and private hire industry are crucial to the success of the capital’s transport network.
“The actions set out in this new plan will enable us to attract taxi drivers from all backgrounds, ensure passengers’ and drivers’ safety, ensure consistently high standards and continue to reduce the environmental impact of taxis and private hire vehicles.
“We’ll continue to work closely with the taxi trade and private hire industry and our partners to ensure that London has safe, accessible and green taxi and private hire services, recognised across the world.”
Achievements and innovations in public transport will be recognised and celebrated at the fourth annual CiTTi Awards on 25 November 2025 at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Visit cittiawards.co.uk to learn more about this unmissable event for the UK’s transportation sector!
