ON THE RISE: Number of taxis working in central London INCREASING shows TFL data

The number of black cabs working central London is slowly RISING as the industry continues to recover from the devastating financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to data obtained via a TfL FOI request, the number of taxis that were detected entering London’s Congestion Charge boundaries in May 2022 reached 13,522. In January 2022 that figure was 13,179 and in February 2022 13,368.

Encouragingly the daily average of taxis entering central London sat at 7,431 vehicles in May 2022. Four years previous in April 2018, that figure stood at 9,710 vehicles. That figure still represents a 23% DECREASE in the average number of taxis available to hire however the number of new black cabs being registered continues to climb slowly.

In April 2021 the number of licensed taxis in London stood at just 13,461 vehicles. That number has now grown slowly to 14,846 vehicles, but does continue to grow month on month.

Demand for taxi services has sky rocketed since covid restrictions were dropped. This has been due to pent up demand for leisure activities, post-covid confidence in using tube services and a severe shortage and rising costs of minicabs in the capital.

The number of private hire vehicles (PHV) detected working in the capital each month continues to FALL despite operator recruitment campaigns and high levels of demand.

The London taxi industry are looking to increase the number of applicants to become licensed taxi drivers over the coming years to at least maintain the number of drivers available in London.

The Knowledge of London taxi driver test has recently come under scrutiny as industry representatives look for ways to increase the number of students undertaking the training.