CHARGING HUB: TfL opens long awaited taxi-only rapid chargepoints in City of London
Transport for London (TfL) has created two taxi-only dedicated rapid charging points (RCPs) at Baynard House in the City of London.
According to the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA), the central rapid charge point hub at Baynard House is now open. The hub has six 50kW BP Pulse rapid charging points, two of which are taxi only, dedicated points.
The capital’s transport regulators have committed to rolling out these ‘hubs’ in each of London’s “five sub-regions”, but progress to date has been slow. The first was launched in 2019, at Stratford International in East London. Then, in September 2021, they launched the second – a South London hub in Glass Yard, Woolwich. Baynard House marks the third, launching just over a year since the last one.
A LTDA spokesperson said in TAXI Newspaper: “The LTDA has been lobbying for more taxi-only RCPs across London and specifically for points to be installed on TfL-owned land, since the before the first electric taxis even came to market. They have continued to push TfL on this issue and encouraged them to speed up rollout.
“The new charging hub isn’t easy to find, but once you do, you can park free of charge for 45 minutes and charge your vehicle. The charging points are operated by BP Pulse at their standard rates. You can find more details on their website, with different rates offered for those using a subscription or pay as you go options.
“When accessing the charging hub, you will need to use the entrance on Castle Baynard Street. Drivers should ignore
the no motor vehicles signage on approach to the car park entrance, which can be confusing.
“Vehicles staying beyond 45 minutes, will be subject to parking charges for the additional time remaining in the space, meaning a vehicle staying for two hours, would be charged for the additional 1 hour and 15 minutes of parking.”
