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LTDA says traffic delays are prompting passenger complaints ahead of Oxford Street closure
London taxi drivers are receiving complaints from passengers about traffic delays and rising fares, according to Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA) chairman Paul Brennan, who has warned that the planned closure of Oxford Street could add further pressure to the road network.
In a column published in the LTDA TAXI, Brennan said complaints were reaching his desk from passengers whose journeys were taking longer as drivers sat in traffic and the meter continued to run. Some passengers were asking for part of the fare to be refunded, he wrote.
“Passengers experience their driver sitting in traffic, watching the meter gradually increase, and demand a partial refund from us,” Brennan said.
He added that some passengers described surrounding road closures as “unreasonable and unsustainable from a traveller’s point of view”. Drivers, he said, were left feeling embarrassed while the meter recorded the cost of decisions made elsewhere.
Brennan cited recent disruption in Mayfair and earlier roadworks on Wigmore Street as examples of what can happen when routes become unavailable. A journey that should take two minutes can take 30, he wrote, arguing that schemes must account for how displaced traffic affects other streets.
His concerns extend to the planned Oxford Street closure. Brennan called it “one such example that’s worthy of discussion” and said he had little confidence that the surrounding road network would cope. He criticised the decision to proceed despite what he described as an “unpleasant preview” of the effects of the closure.
Brennan also challenged reliance on computer modelling to predict how the scheme will work, saying it depends on a “perfect day” and questioning how often those conditions occur.
He said Transport for London’s published journey times remained broadly comparable with 2019, but argued that this did not reflect the experience of passengers dealing with delays and crowded services. He called for authorities to engage directly with drivers, passengers and businesses affected by displaced traffic.
Brennan’s column did not provide figures for the number of complaints received. His central concern was that decisions about street changes should account for their effects on people travelling through the area and on the roads around it.
