London Black Taxis:
Why the numbers of drivers are shrinking
Black cab drivers have hit their lowest numbers in 40 years
The London taxi, Hackney Carriage, or black cab is an iconic and familiar site on our London roads, having been part of our city for nearly three centuries.
As one of the oldest public transport systems, the taxi trade has witnessed the evolution of our capital and has constantly been adapting. However, the last four years has proven to be the most challenging and devastating for the cab trade yet.
In 2021, the Department of Transport reported that the number of London taxis on the road had shrunk by nearly 29 per cent with more than 5,000 drivers leaving the trade.
As of the 12th June 2022, there are 19,171 London taxi drivers licensed by Transport for London (TfL).
So, why are drivers leaving the fleet? Should we be worried? And what is the future of the London taxi trade?
The Pandemic impact
In March 2020, the country entered into lockdown after the viral Covid pandemic spread throughout the world. Its disruption was a massive blow to nearly every business, including black cabs. The impact was immediate and shocking. Many people began to work from home and, for some, that continues today.
The images of abandoned office blocks, desolate airport terminals and empty London roads illustrated to the nation, the capital was dead, and for the drivers, so was the trade.
Grant Davis is the Chairman of the London Cab Drivers Club (LCDC), a union for London taxi drivers. Grant said: “There was a time during Covid that it was so bad for the trade, I thought we would never get out of it, there was no light at the end of the tunnel for us.
“I was going to work, and no one was there. I would do one or two jobs a day. Sometimes I would take home £25.
“We couldn’t work from home like everyone else. It was a really scary time for the trade.”
For many cab drivers like Grant, the pandemic hit them extremely hard, and many left the trade as the government’s Self-Employed Income Scheme was not enough to cover their bills and expenses.
Grant lost more than 50 per cent of his members over the last two years, with 1,500 members before the lockdown and now just 700 members in 2022, with most members giving up the trade for good.
The pandemic also affected the intake of new drivers. During the lockdown, the Public Carriage Office, run by Transport for London (TfL) that licences all taxi drivers in London, was closed so no new licences were being issued. There were also no examiners to test new drivers and many roads were shut (and some still remain so) during the lockdowns to promote exercise.
Andy Pearce is a cab driver of seven years and the owner of the Knowledge Companion, a community interest company supporting the next generation of new London cab drivers.
Andy said: “For many potential new drivers, it wasn’t seen as a viable career. The attractiveness of the industry has gone and that’s mostly to do with the pandemic and the lack of support we received.
“Before the pandemic we had around 500 – 600 new drivers learning the Knowledge with us but in 2020, that went down to around 100.”
Andy explained this significant decrease in drivers is in part to do with the pandemic but also the Knowledge itself.
The Knowledge is the test that London cab drivers must pass to show they know the shortest and quickest routes around London. It usually takes 2 to 4 years to pass and drivers must remember up to 25,000 road names, 100,000 points of interest and 320 runs (routes).
The dropout rate for the Knowledge is nearly 90 per cent. Only one in 10 new drivers will complete and pass the Knowledge.
Andy said: “Most people have an unrealistic expectation of the work required. It is about as difficult as getting an undergraduate degree. I’ve got a chemical engineering degree and I know which one is harder.”
Even the New York Times considers it “the most difficult test in the world.”
Andy explained how business has generally got better for drivers since the pandemic and that the number of new drivers is slowly increasing post-Covid.
He said: “People want to travel in cabs more now than before Covid because of the social distanced, private service. It will take years to reverse but it will, and it is.”
LEVC: The new electric taxi
Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, announced from 1st January 2018, all newly licensed taxis must be Zero Emission Capable (ZEC), meaning all new cabs must be electric.
This is part of the mayor’s plan to address London’s air pollution and he expects all taxis to be zero emission capable by 2033, outlined in his 2018 transport strategy.
As of June 2022, 5,657 ZEC taxis have been licensed by TfL. This was supported by the enhanced taxi delicensing scheme which saw TfL provide £42 million to support the uptake of cleaner vehicles. The scheme aimed to help drivers purchase new electric vehicles offering grants up to a maximum of £10,000.
Sadiq Khan said in 2020: “I am very proud that a third of the capital’s taxi fleet, more than 4,600 vehicles, are now zero emission capable.”
However, Grant Davis has criticised this initiative as “unfair” and “heart-breaking”.
Currently, the TX from LEVC is the only fully electric taxi vehicle available on the market.
“They have a complete monopoly and it's unfair.” said Grant. “PHV’s (private hire vehicles) have more choice of electric cars but for cab drivers we are forced to buy one.”
Grant explained how many of his members cannot afford the electric taxis being priced at over £67,000. Even with the help of the delicensing scheme, his members say it is not enough and feel they are being priced out of the job.
“I’ve got members who invested in the new cab before Covid on finance, that’s like 80 grand, and then the trade vanished. Many finance companies forced my members to pay back the leases, but most couldn’t pay so they had to sell the cab at auction and pay back the difference which cost them thousands.
“After that most drivers left the trade and it’s heart-breaking to see.”
TX4 (2016) from the London Taxi Company
stopped being made in 2017
TX - The Electric Taxi from LEVC
Andy Pearce views the electric vehicles as a “fundamental change to the market” and thinks drivers and passengers’ will benefit.
He explains the new taxis are a “high capital cost, low maintenance vehicle” and will save drivers money as it is much more fuel efficient.
He also explains how the taxi is better for the driver’s health. He said: “Drivers in the electric taxi are 30 per cent less fatigued than in the diesel cabs. The reduced noise, vibration and pollution makes the driver healthier so they can do longer shifts.
“The charcoal filter cleans the air inside the taxi for the driver and the passenger and has regenerative breaking which automatically slows the cab down over speed bumps.”
Though he acknowledges drivers will have to commit to the vehicle for five -10 years, the benefits of the new technology are a marvel and should be embraced by the trade.
The electric cab hopes to attract new drivers to the job as a more luxury and low-maintenance vehicle to drive.
How road closures are changing London
During the pandemic, roads were closed, blocked, or restricted to certain vehicles, including London taxis, and most have stayed this way. This was done through the plant pot barricades and the introduction of the controversial LTNs (Low Traffic Neighbourhoods).
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said he planned to close the roads as part of TfL’s Street Space scheme and introduced LTNs to tackle air pollution.
TfL said the aim of Street Space is to “create new protected cycle lanes, extend pavements and reduce through-traffic in residential areas as a response to the coronavirus pandemic. This will make it easier and safer for people to walk, cycle and use public transport.”
Roads such as Park Lane, Euston underpass and Borough High street have had lanes removed and pavements widened to make room for temporary cycle lanes and buses.
However, many have criticised the scheme as being “ridiculous” and counter intuitive.
Grant commented: “The scheme is ridiculous, it's causing more congestion on those roads making them more dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians plus the increase in air pollution.”
One of the biggest road closures to have the most impact on the city were the restrictions at Bishopsgate.
Between 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday, all access along the corridor is restricted to only buses, walking, and cycling. Taxi access is maintained through side routes, but these closures have been met with a lot of criticism.
This map shows one of the most simple runs that black cab drivers do everyday.
London Bridge station to Liverpool street station.
Normally this route is one and a half miles long taking 10 minuets through Bishopsgate.
Now due to the Street Space scheme, Bishopsgate is completely closed off to cars and taxis.
The journey now uses small side routes through Fenchurch street and Aldgate.
The route is now double the milage meaning not only is the fare higher for the passenger but it means more congestion and air pollution in these areas of the city.
The LTNs has always been a divisive issue between councils and drivers. LTNs issue fines for non-permitted vehicles driving down certain roads in an effort to reduce pollution in those areas.
In March 2022 Islington council were forced to apologise after reporting their pollution levels were falling in LTN areas, when in fact they were rising.
Grant Davis, commenting on the LTNs, said: “They don’t solve the issue, it just moves the pollution to other places and congestion builds up there.”
The continued road closures have made the job and the learning of the Knowledge even harder. Drivers are finding the job more stressful with less money in return. Many drivers are no longer driving into central London anymore and instead are saturating the suburban taxi zones. There are also worries that these obstacles could deter new drivers from joining the fleet.
Andy Pearce sees London differently as he says: “London is a 12th century floor plan. The streets don’t make sense, that is why drivers learn them visually. This, plus the quality of service, is what makes London taxis so special.”
Sadiq Khan, when confronted with the issue of increased taxi journey times due to the Bishopsgate closure, responded: “The Equality Impact Assessment for the decision recognises that there is some disadvantage for taxi users, but this is justified by the public health imperative and the benefits that are brought, while the design minimises that disadvantage. The scheme will be continually monitored.”
TfL was contacted about the closure of the A10 Bishopsgates but has not commented.
The future of the trade
Over the years the number of cab drivers has always fluctuated with the market and demand.
But, with just over 19,000 licensed drivers and numbers continually decreasing, many cab drivers are worried about the trade and its future.
Being forced to switch to electric vehicles, weaving around endless road closures, and still dealing with lasting effects of the pandemic, it is no wonder that many feel doubtful for the trades place in London.
Grant Davis expressed his love for the job and his fear for the trade’s future.
“After 34 years there is not a morning I wake up and dread getting in that cab, I still love this job.
“At the moment, it feels like death by a thousand cuts in the cab trade. If something isn’t done the trade will be in dark waters. It will be very difficult for drivers to provide the quality service to Londoners.”
Andy Pearce optimistically explained this was part of the trade’s natural cycle.
“The trade goes up and it goes down, but it never goes away. We provide quality, and if people want to travel quickly, reliably and safely, they will get a black cab.
“The trade is 300 years old for a reason and that’s because people need to move around the city.
“So if the cab trade is dying, it's dying a slow a profitable death.”
