The App Drivers’ and Couriers’ Union (ADCU) has welcomed calls by London Assembly Member and Chair of the London Transport Committee, Elly Baker, for urgent Government action to protect the capital’s private hire and taxi drivers.

Amid a steep decline in the number of drivers operating in the capital, Baker has written to both Andy Lord, TfL Commissioner, and The Rt Hon Heidi Alexander MP, Secretary of State for Transport, outlining key measures that need to happen urgently to support a thriving and safe taxi and PH sector both nationally, and in the capital.

Chief among the recommendations are a call for TfL to lobby the Government for legislative powers to establish a private hire vehicle cap in the capital, mandated data sharing by private hire operators as a condition of licensing, including data on fares and algorithmic pricing, a cap on the number of licences being issued, and greater financial support for drivers, all of which are shared ADCU asks of the Government.

Baker criticises the slowness of the Government to catch up with huge changes in the private hire and taxi industry since the emergence of app-based operators such as Uber, Bolt and FreeNow, and expresses particular disappointment with TfL for its failure to engage with the Transport Committee before the publication in March of the Taxi and Private Hire Plan 2025, despite repeated requests.

Cristina-Georgiana Ioanitescu, President of ADCU, comments: “We share Elly Baker’s disappointment in the lack of proactive engagement with the London Assembly’s Transport Committee before the publication of the Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan, having participated in a number of evidence-gathering sessions, making critical recommendations on behalf of our members, most of which were not reflected in the Plan.

“We echo Baker’s calls for greater data transparency, vehicle caps, and ending the use of dangerous technologies such as Uber’s Trip Radar. These are key protections our members urgently need in order to operate safely, and to make a reasonable living.

“ADCU stands ready to engage directly, and meaningfully, with both TfL and Government, to build a robust, fit-for-purpose and joined-up transport system which both serves our communities, and ensures that drivers’ pay and conditions are fully protected.”

Elly Baker comments: "I'm concerned about the future of taxi and private hire in London, and the lack of meaningful engagement with drivers' representatives and the London Assembly Transport Committee has added to those fears. I have been grateful to ADCU for their active participation in our evidence gathering, enabling us to understand the real-world impact of the lack of regulation on the large app-based operators.

"I'd urge the Government and TfL to listen to those who live and breathe these trades, so we can genuinely move to a taxi and private hire sector that works for drivers and passengers alike."

ADCU is also calling for urgent amendments to be made to the Employment Rights Bill to cover worker status for private hire and taxi drivers, many of whom are forced into bogus self-employment by the app companies, and is also submitting evidence to the current Transport Committee’s call for evidence on achieving and measuring transport integration in the UK, Joined-up Journeys," with recommendations on how to fully realise and maximise the contributions made by private hire drivers, and how barriers to integration can be overcome.

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