A taxi fleet owner has called for urgent help to increase driver numbers in London – before the capital’s iconic black cabs disappear.
Transport for London figures show that as of February 2, 2025, there were 16,847 black-cab drivers in the capital – 26 fewer than in January – and the number of public-hire vehicles also fell by nine to 14,501. At the same time, private-hire numbers fell by 58 to 107,921, with 247 new licenses issued in the first week of February, while the number of private-hire vehicle licenses increased by 154 to 96,671.
Support
In an open letter to Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan, taxi driver and Sherbet Electric Taxis CEO Asher Moses called for fast-track Knowledge training, VAT relief on electric taxis, greater choice in vehicle manufacturers, and full access to London’s roads to help taxi drivers make ends meet.
The letter was published in full by Taxi Point and says action is needed to stop the continuing decline in Hackney Carriage driver numbers.
Reminding the mayor that Hackney Carriages have been serving London since the 17th century, Mr Moses said: “We’ve upheld our traditions and standards, yet happily modernised ourselves to support London’s evolution such as introducing mod cons into our taxis and going fully electric to meet your Net Zero Plan.
“But we see the landscape changing and we worry that we are being forgotten. We see new tech giants come in and drive prices down whilst our costs and restrictions go up. We see our guardians TFL advertise tubes yet never give us a mention. We see access to roads taken away from us in our most critical borough, The City, so our role in transporting City professionals and those needing access becomes increasingly redundant.”
Key steps
His four-point plea for action begins with the introduction of a fast-track Knowledge test that takes less than the current four years to complete and is less expensive “but still retains the high standards of the traditional Knowledge”.
Having invested nearly £30 million on his own fleet of more than 500 EV black cabs, Mr Moses is also calling for VAT relief on electric taxis. He said: “Drivers all over London have put their entire life savings into the costly TXE and now we are all finding that the EV dream isn’t what it’s cracked up to be as our costs are crippling and the amount of work available is being taken by the ever-growing PHV sector. Given our taxis are both electric and wheelchair accessible, can you consider VAT relief as well as charging subsidies?”
Continuing with the need for financial support, Mr Moses said the TXE is currently too expensive and asks that the Mayor lifts restrictions to allow drivers to choose other suitable vehicles.
“The cost of this TXE vehicle can be as high as £100,000 when you include interest. By growing the choice of vehicles for black-taxi drivers, you level the playing field with private hire and invite an acceleration in adoption of EV that will help build to Net Zero.”
Bus lanes
The final plea is to give Hackney Carriage drivers access to all roads. Mr Moses said: “We find it hard to accept having a chunk of our bread-and-butter jobs wiped out as we have access denied on key roads and the City. Black cabs offer transport that’s efficient, comfortable, spacious and driven by career drivers so much of our work is taking City professionals to and from the City, but we can’t serve them anymore.
“We accept sharing work with PHVs, but let it be a level playing field for both by giving Licensed Black Taxis access to bus lanes and The City so we can serve the passengers we have always looked after and let Uber do the jobs they do best.”
London’s black cabs continue to play a key role in helping people get around the capital. Mr Moses accepts that change is inevitable, but is calling for a level playing field so black-cab drivers can continue to provide the service they are famous for and compete with private-hire operators on a level playing field.
