Mayor distances TfL from regulating Uber fares and driver pay concerns
- Perry Richardson
- 1 hour ago
- 1 min read
Mayor Sadiq Khan has confirmed that Transport for London (TfL) holds no powers to regulate private hire vehicle (PHV) fares or address driver pay disputes, in response to growing concerns about algorithmic pricing by companies like Uber.
Neil Garratt AM, of the City Hall Conservatives, asked whether the Mayor agrees that Uber and similar operators use pricing algorithms to overcharge passengers and underpay drivers, describing it as a “potentially exploitative model”.
In a written response dated 4 April 2025, the Mayor pointed to the limits of the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998. The legislation does not allow TfL to control how much private hire operators charge customers. Nor does it give TfL a role in managing pay or working conditions for drivers.
The response added that disputes over driver pay and conditions fall under the remit of employment tribunals, not TfL.
TfL’s role in regulating PHVs is confined to operator licensing and ensuring safety and compliance standards are met.
The Mayor of London said: “Transport for London (TfL) regulates private hire vehicle (PHV) services in accordance with the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998 (1998 Act). There is no provision in the 1998 Act to regulate PHV fares.
“Issues regarding drivers’ pay and conditions are for specialist tribunals and are not matters that TfL can regulate.”
