London’s taxi industry continues slow decline in numbers as private hire figures continue to rise
- Perry Richardson
- Sep 16
- 2 min read
The number of licensed taxi drivers and vehicles in London continues to fall, with the latest figures for September 2025 showing a clear continuation of the long-term downward trend seen over the last 15 years.
As of the week ending 7 September 2025, there are 16,484 licensed taxi drivers in London. That represents a drop of 14 drivers on the previous week, with no new licences issued. Just over 14,800 of those drivers hold All London licences, while around 1,620 are licensed for the suburban areas. Taxi vehicle numbers also fell again this week. There are now 14,243 licensed taxis on London’s roads, 18 fewer than the week before.
While the overall number of taxis and drivers continues to fall, private hire licensing tells a different story.
There are now 105,700 private hire driver licences in issue, up 36 from the previous week. In the same week, 116 new driver licences were issued. The total number of private hire vehicles stands at 96,483, with 257 new licences granted, although there was still a net drop of 96 vehicles.
There are now 1,794 licensed private hire operators in the capital, an increase of 4 compared to the previous week.
Long-term shift
Comparing the current figures to historical data shows the steady decline of the licensed taxi trade in London. In 2010, there were around 24,900 taxi drivers. That figure has now dropped to just over 16,600, with both the All London and Suburban sectors shrinking year-on-year.
Vehicle numbers tell a similar story. From a peak of over 23,000 licensed taxis in 2011/12, numbers have fallen sharply to 14,570 in 2024/25. Even with the shift to ZEC taxis, the fleet is over 8,500 vehicles smaller than it was 14 years ago.
Meanwhile, private hire numbers have grown considerably. In 2009/10, there were just under 60,000 private hire drivers. That number now stands at more than 106,000. Vehicle numbers have followed suit, rising from 49,355 to 97,154 over the same period.
Although the number of private hire operators had fallen for several years, the trend has now reversed. Operator licences dropped to a low of 1,583 in 2022/23 but have steadily increased over the last two years.
Sector imbalance
The long-term data paints a picture of an industry undergoing major change. While the taxi sector remains an iconic part of London’s transport offer, it is being outpaced by the growth of private hire.
The drop in taxi driver numbers may reflect several reasons including the cost of vehicle upgrades, and competition from app-based private hire platforms. The effects of the pandemic also led to a sharp drop in active taxi numbers from 2020 onwards, with only partial recovery since.
In contrast, private hire services have proved more resilient. The continued growth in driver and vehicle numbers points to a steady supply of new applicants entering the sector.
As the private hire industry expands, the future role of the taxi trade within London’s wider transport network remains a key topic. TfL’s Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan aims to reverse the trend, but so far there’s little sign of the ship being turned around.
