THE START OF A RECOVERY? London black taxi fleet finally GROWS after year of dwindling numbers
The number of licensed black cab vehicles in London is finally INCREASING after numbers nosedived by over 5,000 vehicles since the first COVID restriction measures began.
There are now only 13,699 taxis licensed in the capital, meaning a QUARTER of the wheelchair accessible taxis in April 2020 are currently no longer available to taxi drivers and passengers.
However, growth in the number of new black taxis licensed has finally emerged for the first time in over a year. There are also signs of drivers and fleets who had allowed cab licences to expire now relicensing.
According to Transport for London (TfL) records show there were 18,504 taxis registered in Greater London at the start of the pandemic in April 2020. Since then the number of taxi vehicles available to cabbies has considerably dropped by over a quarter. The decrease has been mainly attributed to the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the industry.
Taxi drivers in the capital have however invested over £240million in more than 4,000 electric black cabs since 2018.
According to sales data published in TAXI Magazine, 59 new Zero Emission Capable (ZEC) taxis entered the London trade in March.
Taxi drivers have been heavily hit by the pandemic, but are now starting to prepare for when remaining lockdown measures are dropped. According to the Government’s roadmap, all restrictions should be dropped by mid-June.
