Taxi drivers 'priced out’ as experts demand two changes to ‘transform’ industry
Specialists have called for two urgent changes to be implemented to help revitalise London's pivotal black cab trade.
Sadiq Khan and Susan Hall have been urged to take urgent action to “transform” the taxi and private hire vehicle industry if they win next week’s London Mayoral election.
Experts at taxi firm FREENOW claim there are genuine fears drivers are being “priced out” of a job in the industry due to heavy upfront costs.
Mariusz Zabrocki, General Manager at FREENOW UK has called on both London Mayralcandidtaes to put cab drivers in the spotlight and make immediate updates.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Mariusz added: “One thing is vehicles which are extremely expensive. At the moment there is only one vehicle model which meets TfL requirements and it costs £100,0000 or £400 per week if you rent it.
“Thousands of drivers were priced out. They decided to retire early or not to join the trade because of this cost.
“That's only because of one very simple requirement which is the turning circle (the ability to complete a U-turn with one movement of the steering wheel).”
They claim removing this requirement would remove around £20,000 from the average upfront price of a vehicle in a major boost.
Sadiq Khan previously ran a taxi delicencing scheme which offered tiered payments of up to £10,000 for taxi owners to ditch their older polluting models.
The Plug-In grant was also available for those making the switch to EVs but both schemes have now closed.
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Alongside upfront fees, Mariusz also raised concerns over the Knowledge test taken by all cab drivers before they pass.
He added: “The second big change we think needs to be changed is around the Knowledge. It needs to be updated for the 21st century.
"We need to ask about the routes, ask about the landmarks that actually are chosen by customers as destination and pick-up points.
“We believe we could easily reduce 65 percent of the content of that exam and still cover 95 percent of what customers need. These are two relatively straightforward changes that could transform the industry.”
Black cabs are not just a unique part of London's heritage but remain an important transport tool for modern Londoners.
Data from FREENOW shows just over half (51 percent) of passengers travel by black cab multiple times a week. Meanwhile, over 40 percent of passengers value the convenience of travelling by black cab as they are easy to hail down or book.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, Mariusz concluded: “We think the black cabs, the taxis haven’t been a priority for a while.
"If you look at the last eight years nothing has changed. There were no changes to any regulations. There was no plan or actions to reverse the negative trend in terms of driver supply.
“Over the past decade around 30 percent of taxi drivers left the industry which was obviously accelerated by the pandemic.
“The numbers keep coming down even though the pandemic has ended, the numbers keep coming down, we have very few new drivers joining the trade.”
