NO TOILETS: London taxi drivers risking £65 fines and future poor health say LTDA

Taxi drivers are struggling to ‘spend a penny’ in the capital as a lack of accessible toilet facilities increases risks of parking fines and future poor health.

According to Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA), an increasing number of cabbies are now being handed Penalty Charge Notices (PCN) fining drivers £65 whilst they pop to the toilet during their shifts.

Hotel staff are said to be increasingly blocking access to cabbies using their lobby facilities leaving many frustrated and embarrassed.

Lloyd Baldwin, LTDA Executive S.O., said in TAXI Newspaper: “I see lots of PCNs issued to our members when stopping to use a toilet. As many of you would agree, finding somewhere to stop and use a loo is becoming more and more difficult. I generally end up using a pub loo or one of the big take away restaurants. I have found over the last couple of years certain hotels refusing cabbies entry, their doorman blocking access to drivers accessing the lobby when desperate to use the facilities – which can be hugely frustrating and to be honest a little embarrassing.

“It can be a nightmare finding an accessible loo and when we do, we run the risk of getting a PCN and the toilet break ends up costing £65 – and then it’s not ‘spending a penny’– it’s spending 6,500 of them and that really is taking the...

“Some of the councils closed even more of them during Covid. Both TfL and the councils need to understand the issue and show more lenience to cabbies when we are away from the cab in the toilet. They also need to take into account that because of the lack of toilets available to use, we end up having to hold on until we can find somewhere, and this can be bad for our health.

“I have a very good friend whose current health issues are partly down to fact he held on too long over his years of cab driving. TfL recently put out a tweet stating how difficult it was to find an open toilet to use. You may want to quote that if you’re appealing a PCN whilst having had to rush in somewhere.”