TfL set to re-jig taxi and PHV licensing department into wider regulatory restructure that includes cycle hire and cable cars
- Perry Richardson
- 24 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Transport for London (TfL) look to be undertaking a significant internal restructure that will see its Taxi and Private Hire Department rebranded and expanded into a much broader unit, for the first time without the word taxi appearing in its title.
The move folds the regulation of London’s taxi and private hire trades into a new department with responsibility for a wide range of transport services.
According to trade sources, the new unit will be known as ‘Sponsored Services and Regulatory Compliance’. Alongside licensing and regulation of taxis and private hire vehicles, it will also oversee London Service Permits for buses and coaches, the regulation of pedicabs, micromobility schemes, the Woolwich Ferry and TfL sponsored services including the Cable Car and Cycle Hire.
The change has drawn sharp criticism from parts of the licensed taxi trade, which has long argued that being grouped with private hire has diluted specialist oversight of the black cab sector. Writing in Taxi Magazine, Paul Brennan, chairman of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association, questioned both the name and the direction of travel.
London’s taxi and private hire oversight is to be absorbed into a wider Transport for London unit covering micromobility, pedicabs and sponsored services
“Sponsored Services and Regulatory Compliance. Who, or what, is that referring to, you may ask,” Brennan wrote. “Well, it’s the new name and outlook for taxi & private hire at Transport for London (TfL), with the responsibilities for undertaking the licensing and regulation of London’s taxi and private hire services, as well as administering London Service Permits (for buses and coaches) and regulation of pedicabs.”
Brennan said the scope of the new department went far beyond traditional licensing functions, adding that it would also be responsible for micromobility, the Woolwich Ferry and sponsored services such as the Cable Car and Cycle Hire. He warned that this further expansion risked reducing focus on the taxi trade.
“It was an absolute disgrace when we were originally lumped in with private hire, as our world renowned trade gained zero from that move,” he said. “In fact, we lost far too much. How this change will impact us might be up for debate but I think it’s fair to say that this further watering down can only be a negative. I look forward to being proven wrong!”
The restructuring reflects TfL’s broader shift towards consolidating regulatory functions across multiple transport modes as London’s mobility landscape diversifies. In recent years, the authority has taken on additional responsibilities around new and emerging services, including e-scooters, cycle hire expansion and, more recently, formal regulation of pedicabs.
For the taxi and private hire industry, the concern is that being part of an even larger compliance-focused department could reduce specialist engagement and slow decision making on sector-specific issues such as licensing policy, vehicle standards and enforcement priorities.
TfL has not yet set out detailed operational changes linked to the departmental rebrand, and it remains unclear whether frontline licensing processes or stakeholder engagement structures will be altered as a result. However, the removal of taxi from the department name has been taken by some within the trade as symbolic of a reduced status within the organisation.
