Oxford Street pedestrianisation plan released raising fresh operational questions for taxi and PHV trade
- Perry Richardson
- 5 minutes ago
- 3 min read
The Mayor of London and Transport for London have set out a detailed proposal to pedestrianise a major section of Oxford Street, triggering renewed scrutiny from the taxi and private hire industry over how drivers and passengers would be affected.
The eight week consultation opens today and runs until 16 January 2026.
The scheme centres on the stretch between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street. Under the plan, taxis, private hire vehicles, buses, cycles and scooters would all be excluded from the zone, with access limited to emergency services at all times and to servicing vehicles only between midnight and 7am.
The move goes further than the current daytime traffic ban applied to general vehicles and marks the most significant access change for the trade on the street in decades.
TfL proposal to remove taxis and private hire vehicles from key West End section prompts concerns over access, ranking and passenger journey times
TfL says the design aims to maintain traffic crossing points at several junctions and introduce wider pedestrian crossings, but the core east to west flow for taxis would be removed entirely. Drivers would be pushed onto diversion routes already commonly used during daytime restrictions, although there is no detailed assessment yet published on how this could affect journey reliability at peak times or during seasonal surges.
For licensed taxis, TfL intends to position ranks and passenger drop off points as close as possible to the edge of the pedestrian zone. Discussions are underway with Westminster City Council about whether more kerbside space can be reassigned to ranks on surrounding streets. The Mayor’s office says blue badge parking provision will be maintained, though the overall pattern of passenger access is set to shift once vehicles are no longer able to enter the street itself.
Bus routes currently using Oxford Street would be moved north to Wigmore Street and Henrietta Place. While TfL modelling claims most local bus routes would see an overall change of less than a minute, that figure does not include the separate effect on taxi and PHV routing where journey patterns depend heavily on doorstep access and direct pick up.
For wheelchair users and those with mobility impairments relying on taxis, the location of ranks will be central to the trade’s response to these plans. Representatives from across the sector have already signalled that any loss of proximity risks undermining the point to point service model that passengers pay for.
Cycling would also be excluded from the pedestrian zone, with TfL proposing to work with Westminster on alternative corridors. No equivalent commitment has been set out for the taxi and PHV sector beyond localised ranking adjustments, and the industry is expected to push for further clarity on network resilience during events, closures or emergencies.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “We need urgent action to give the nation’s high street a new lease of life and make it an attractive international destination once again. A reimagined Oxford Street can bring the world to London and showcase the best of London to the world, and I’m pleased that we’re now moving ahead with our exciting plans to regenerate this iconic area, backed by the vast majority of Londoners and businesses.
“These new proposals map out the potential next steps with Transport for London to make our vision of a thriving, greener Oxford Street a reality. I encourage everyone to have their say on the proposals, which would transform Oxford Street into a place Londoners and the whole country can be proud of, as we continue to build a better London for everyone.”
