A warning has been echoed for years by drivers watching ranks thin out and familiar faces retire, but the available official data now gives the concern much greater weight. The traditional taxi workforce is heavily concentrated in older age groups, while the number of younger people choosing the occupation remains exceptionally low. The latest Department for Transport (DfT) statistics show that England had 417,300 taxi and private hire vehicle driver licences on issue at 1 Ap

Longer taxi and private hire journeys account for most of the passenger mileage travelled in England, but a higher fare does not necessarily mean a more profitable job for the driver. Fresh Department for Transport (DfT) data shows that only 16% of taxi and PHV trips exceeded 10 miles in 2024. Those journeys nevertheless represented 61% of the total distance travelled by passengers. For cabbies, the attraction is easy to understand. A longer booking produces more revenue from

Taxi drivers are part of everyday life for so many people across the UK, but their importance can be easy to overlook. They are there when someone needs to get to a hospital appointment, when public transport is not an option, when people need to get home safely at night, or having a reliable option at a moment when it really matters. When we commissioned research into how the general public feel about taxi drivers, we expected to hear positive feedback around the important r