Tom the Taxi Driver explains London’s soiling charges and why passengers might be subjected to the £60 fee
- Perry Richardson
- 17 hours ago
- 2 min read
Passengers who are sick inside a London taxi can be charged a soiling fee on top of the fare, a practice drivers say reflects unavoidable cleaning costs and lost working time rather than a discretionary penalty.
The issue has been set out in a recent video by Tom Hutley, known online as Tom the Taxi Driver, who explains how London cabbies deal with sick or other messy incidents during a shift. In the short clip, Hutley describes the immediate impact on a driver once a cab is soiled.
According to Hutley, if a passenger is sick in the back of the cab, the driver is entitled to add a soiling charge to the metered fare. He says the fee is typically around £60 and is designed to cover professional cleaning and the time the vehicle is forced off the road. Once contaminated, the taxi cannot continue working until it has been properly cleaned.
Drivers say this requirement is driven by licensing enforced by Transport for London. Operating a cab in an unclean condition risks enforcement action, meaning drivers have little choice but to stop work immediately, even if the incident happens at a busy time such as a weekend night shift.
Taxi driver and online creator Tom Hutley outlines what happens when a cab is taken out of service due to mess
Unlike fleet based transport services, most London taxi drivers are self employed and personally responsible for arranging and paying for cleaning. There is no routine insurance cover for sickness incidents, leaving drivers to recover costs directly from passengers where possible. Lost earnings from the remainder of a shift add to the financial impact.
Disputes can arise when passengers are unaware of the policy or challenge the charge after the journey. Drivers often rely on photos taken, payment records and cleaning receipts to support their claims. Some display notices warning passengers that a soiling fee may apply if the vehicle is contaminated.
Hutley’s video offers a real account from a driver’s perspective, highlighting how a single incident can bring a cabbies shift to an abrupt end. Drivers argue that without the ability to recover cleaning and downtime costs, the financial burden would fall entirely on them, an outcome many say would be unsustainable.
