TfL licensed London private hire driver numbers surge past 110,000 as driver growth accelerates to new post-pandemic levels
- Perry Richardson
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
London’s private hire driver workforce has climbed beyond 110,000 licence holders after another week of strong growth, highlighting the continued expansion of the capital’s ride-hailing sector.
Transport for London (TfL) figures for the week ending 19 July show there are now 110,668 licensed private hire drivers, an increase of 365 compared with the previous week. During the same period, TfL issued 585 new driver licences, helping push overall numbers above the 110,000 mark for the first time in post-pandemic times.
The latest increase continues a trend that has gathered momentum throughout recent months. At the end of the 2025/26 reporting year there were 105,032 licensed private hire drivers in London. The latest figures represent growth of more than 5,600 drivers since then, taking the sector close to levels last seen before the pandemic.
Vehicle numbers are also moving upwards. TfL now licenses 93,728 private hire vehicles, an increase of 190 over the week after 456 new vehicle licences were issued. Although still below the 97,154 vehicles recorded at the end of 2024/25, fleet numbers continue to recover alongside the increase in drivers.
The expansion is likely to intensify competition across the private hire market. More drivers operating on ride-hailing platforms means the available work is shared across a larger workforce unless passenger demand grows at the same pace. That dynamic has been a recurring concern among drivers who have reported longer waiting times between bookings and increased competition for jobs.
The figures also illustrate how London’s licensed transport market is continuing to diverge. While private hire licensing is expanding, the capital’s licensed taxi sector continues to contract in both driver and vehicle numbers, widening the gap between the two industries.
