Regulations will be coming into force this autumn
For a long time now, a trip to Soho or Oxford Street has also meant dodging the luminous, hot pink and fluffy pedicabs that blast through the streets, leaving a soundbite of ABBA’s ‘Dancing Queen’ in their trail. But, this may only be the case for a little while longer as a proposed new licensing system will change the fate of many of London’s rickshaws.
The three-wheeled cabs regularly pop up in the news whenever there’s another tale of someone being charged an exceptionally high fee for a short trip. In the autumn of 2023, a Belgian tourist paid £450 for a 1.3-mile ride to her hotel, bringing the fact that the UK’s pedicab laws haven’t been updated since 1869 to the public’s attention again.
Back in November 2023, it was reported that these were set for an update with a new licensing system featuring in a bill in the King’s Speech to target the ‘anti-social’ aspects of pedicabs, including unregulated fares, unsafe drivers and noise pollution.
With the passing of the Pedicabs (London) Act 2024, TfL was given the power to regulate pedicabs in public places. The proposed regulations included background checks and licence requirements for pedicab drivers, a potential ban on playing loud music, regular vehicle inspections, and fare controls, “which could be done using a time based, distance based or zonal based structure or a combination of these”.
The public consultation held at the beginning of 2025 found that 97% of the almost 7700 respondents backed mandatory insurance for pedicab drivers, 95% supported the introduction of background checks, and 96% were in favour of volume limitations of music and other audio coming from pedicabs. There was a second public consultation on more detailed proposals in the latter half of 2025, and now the new rules have been announced.
They state that pedicab drivers must pay for a licence, pass a safety test, hold at least a driving theory test certificate and meet English language requirements. TfL has also proposed a cab on fares, where passengers can be charged a maximum base of £5 and £1 per minute of the journey, with that fee rising to £3 per minute for each additional passenger. The driver licence requirement and capped fares will come into force from 30th October, with pedicab operators also needing to get vehicle licences from early 2027.
Speaking about the new regulations, Sadiq Khan said: “After years of campaigning, I’m pleased that TfL will be regulating pedicabs across the capital to ensure they meet proper operational standards.
“Pedicabs should be a fun way to explore London – but too often people face rip-off fares, blaring music and unsafe behaviour.
“We’re bringing in these new rules so that both customers and drivers can benefit from an industry that is more safe, reliable and professional.”
London’s best, from top spots to unique perks, with our expert curated tools
Image credit: Serge Zykov, Flickr
