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London taxi drivers warned social media posts can carry lasting professional risks
Taxi drivers should think carefully before posting work-related videos or comments online, an article in the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association’s (LTDA) magazine has warned, saying social media content can be saved, shared and viewed long after it is published.
The article from the LTDA’s Chairman, Paul Brennan, acknowledges that online platforms have become part of everyday life in the London taxi trade. It describes social media as “often funny, informative and a good way of keeping drivers connected”, and says that, at its best, it can show “the humour and personalities within our trade”.
But it warns that posts intended for a small audience can travel further. “Once you have posted something online, you have no control over where it ends up or who eventually reads it,” the article says. That applies to videos as well as written posts, it adds.
The article makes a similar point about supposedly private online groups. Drivers may ask practical questions in WhatsApp, Facebook or Telegram groups, such as whether they can leave a cab at a particular rank or whether they need to tell TfL about a speeding conviction. However, the article cautions: “Private groups are only private until somebody takes a screenshot. Once you have posted something online, you have no control over where it ends up or who eventually reads it.”
It urges drivers to consider the consequences before making a public disclosure about a work or licensing matter. The article gives the example of a driver telling hundreds of people that they had received a speeding conviction but had decided not to notify Transport for London. “You might eventually find a letter dropping through the door asking you why you didn’t,” it says.
Filming while working can also create a record that reveals more than the person recording intended. The article advises drivers who post videos of themselves ranting about passengers, another road user, TfL or the police to consider what is visible and audible.
“Your badge, registration number, location and behaviour might all form part of the recording,” it says. Even where the video is meant to focus on one incident, those details may identify the driver and provide context for people who later view the footage.
The article says complaints about online material can prompt licensing scrutiny. It refers to “numerous ‘fitness to be licensed’ letters” arising from complaints made by people who were not involved in the original incident, but had seen footage online. The article does not detail specific cases, but presents the examples as a reason for drivers to consider how a clip could be interpreted when watched by someone outside the situation.
The risks are not limited to videos made in the cab. The article notes that some drivers post about their working lives and that, while it is their choice what they share, they may reveal information they would otherwise regard as commercially sensitive. It also discusses the growing audience for taxi-related comedy and commentary, including sketches based on “the everyday situations and characters we encounter”.
The piece takes a measured approach to social media. It does not call on drivers to stop using it, and says there is “a genuinely funny side to it”, with some drivers producing entertaining sketches and others building audiences by documenting their working lives. Its warning is about the permanence and circulation of posts, rather than the existence of online platforms themselves.
“Don’t be deterred,” the article says, before advising drivers to take a moment before publishing. “Enjoy it. Have a laugh. Watch Big Trev, disappear down the occasional TikTok rabbit hole.” But it concludes with a practical test: “Before you post something questionable, please ask yourself one simple question: would I be happy explaining this to TfL?”
For cabbies, the question highlights how a post intended as a joke or an informal account of a shift may later be seen in a different context. That online content can remain accessible and be passed on after the original audience or purpose has changed. A brief pause before posting may help prevent an impulsive comment or recording from becoming a lasting professional issue.
