Iconic London taxi licences plummet to below 14,000 as the pandemic continues to take its toll

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London taxi vehicle licences in the capital have continued to decline, with the latest figures as of Thursday 11 February sitting at 13,916.

The iconic black taxi silhouette, which is instantly recognised the world over, saw a decrease of 93 licences compared to a week earlier.

Hackney carriage taxi driver licence numbers have also dropped this week from the previous. The current figure sits at 21,029, which is 32 less than the previous week. 18,544 of those licences are for drivers holding an ‘All London‘ licence, with the remaining 2,492 linked to ‘Suburban’ licences.

Private hire driver licences, in comparison, eclipse hackney carriage driver numbers. There are currently 106,673 licences registered with Transport for London (TfL), a decrease of 188 on the previous week.

Private hire vehicle licences also saw a decline in numbers. Current figures show there are 79,553 active licences, 83 less than the previous week.

The only area within the taxi and private hire sector which saw an increase in licences is the private hire operator licence category. Figures show there are currently 1,982 operator licences in the capital, an increase of 2 on the previous week.

With the taxi and private hire industries hit hard by the pandemic, a number of local authorities have put in place additional financial support packages to help taxi and private hire drivers struggling to keep up with overheads.

Despite an increase in the number of authorities choosing to help local drivers, London cabbies haven’t been as lucky as of yet, with no financial support package currently offered to taxi and private hire drivers licensed in the capital by TfL.

However, as self-employed workers, many have been entitled to apply for the Government’s Self Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grant; the latest of which is set to be announced by Rishi Sunak in his 3 March Spring Budget.