Business leaders condemn London's rickshaw drivers

Business leaders have roundly condemned, what has been considered to be by many, the plague of unlicensed and unruly rickshaw riders, encroaching onto Londons streets , ripping off members of the public and completely disregarding the law.

Rickshaw riders have been witnessed mounting footpaths, ignoring traffic regulations, riding through crowded areas at what could be considered “breakneck speed,” as well as charging unsuspecting riders exorbitant fees for relatively short journey’s. Business leaders have said that “enough is enough,” and are calling for a crackdown. Westminster City Council have been attempting to bring in legislation for in excess of a decade but to no avail as they have been thwarted time after time, for a plethora of reasons. With the proliferation of electric pedicabs, business leaders are now getting behind Paul Scully MPs bill, which if passed, will give Transport for London the power to regulate rickshaw owners and drivers, as well as protecting riders. Under current legislation, pedicabs fall into the category of “stage-carriages” and as such are subject to some aspects of Hackney Carriage legislation. It was reported in Get West London that TfL figures show that in the period between 2015 and 2017 there have been 16 reported injuries involving pedicabs. Business leaders have stated that they wish to see pedicabs licensed, insured, carrying some form of plate, and all drivers DBS checked, as well as all rickshaws subject to safety checks. All of these features have been written into Paul Scully’s bill, which has cross-party support. Other demands have included that all fares should be fully displayed on the estimated 1400 rickshaws so as to prevent customers being ripped off.