TfL restricts passenger capacity on some 7-seat private hire vehicles with limited kerbside access
- Perry Richardson
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
Transport for London (TfL) has warned of licensing restrictions on certain seven-seat private hire vehicles (PHV) after identifying a passenger safety risk linked to rear seat kerbside access.
Under the new notice, affected vehicles will only be licensed to carry a maximum of four passengers while operating as PHVs, with the rearmost seats required to be folded down at all times.
The change follows a review by Transport for London (TfL) which found that some seven-seat models, originally designed for left-hand drive markets, prevent safe access to the rear row from the nearside kerb. In these vehicles, passengers entering or exiting the back row must use the offside door, placing them directly into live traffic.
TfL said this design configuration is unsuitable for carrying additional passengers in the rearmost seats when used for private hire work. As a result, those seats are no longer considered safe for passenger use under London’s PHV licensing framework, even though the vehicles themselves may continue to be licensed.
Licensing notice limits affected vehicles to four passengers after identifying unsafe roadside access to rear seats.
The notice applies to both newly presented vehicles and those already licensed. Operators using affected models must not carry more than four passengers while working, and inspectors will expect the rear seats to be folded down during operation. TfL officers will check compliance during routine inspections, with enforcement action possible where restrictions are breached.
TfL highlighted the Chery Tiggo 8 plug-in hybrid as an example of a vehicle impacted by the policy, citing the absence of a slide or tilt mechanism on the nearside middle-row seat. This configuration forces rear passengers to exit via the roadside door, which TfL says creates an unacceptable risk in urban traffic conditions.
The authority stressed that the restriction is a licensing condition rather than a vehicle registration issue, meaning operators are not required to amend the V5 document. Instead, the limitation is tied specifically to how the vehicle may be used when carrying passengers for hire in London.
What impact will this have on drivers who invested in the vehicle thinking they could maximise their passenger capacity?
Capacity is a core input in how platforms such as Uber allocate jobs. Requests for five or six passengers are automatically filtered to vehicles licensed to carry that number. Once a vehicle is reclassified as four-seat, it is removed from that job pool entirely, regardless of its physical size.
The impact is threefold. Drivers lose access to higher-value group trips such as airport runs and family bookings. They are less likely to be matched during peak periods when larger groups are travelling.
There is no formal demotion within Uber’s system or most other platforms, but the effect is the same. The algorithm treats the vehicle as a standard four-seat car, placing it in direct competition with lower-cost saloons. Drivers who previously relied on higher-capacity work are funnelled into a more crowded market without any increase in fares.
Drivers cannot work around the change by carrying extra passengers. Doing so would breach licensing conditions and risks enforcement action or loss of licence. As a result, some drivers face difficult choices, including switching platforms, redeploying vehicles outside London if permitted, or replacing vehicles altogether.
