City Hall fear 16% rise in minicab fares will hit Londoners’ pockets hard

Plans to remove the congestion charge exemption for private hire vehicles are pointless according to the London Assembly, which has called on the Mayor to rethink his plans. 

Private hire vehicles are currently exempted from paying the £11.50 daily charge.

The London Assembly supports the congestion charge exemption for private hire vehicles. Tony Arbour AM, Chairman of the London Assembly said: “This policy would fail significantly to reduce congestion. The Mayor’s own figures show that the number of PHVs in the Congestion Charge Zone would fall by only 600 a day, or 1 percent. “Congestion is an issue that clearly needs to be addressed – but this is not the way to go about it. The Mayor should come forward with new and innovative proposals to tackle this problem. “The data shows that operators would have to increase their charges by up to 16 percent – hitting Londoners’ pockets. The charge will also greatly impact the smaller operators, and this will need to be addressed. “This policy is a misguided way for the Mayor to raise some of the money he needs to rescue TfL from its dire financial straits. Talk of congestion and pollution is merely an excuse for this quite cynical move.”