London’s party rickshaws will be told to turn down the music and clock up legitimate fares under plans to regulate the pedicabs, which are known for riotous journeys and ruinous expense.
Transport for London (TfL) is releasing its detailed proposals as it vows to remove unsafe vehicles from the streets after overwhelming support for regulation in an initial consultation earlier this year.
The proposals include enhanced criminal record checks and medical checks for drivers, and annual licensing inspections for their vehicles, with checks on brakes, tyres, lighting and batteries for electrically powered pedicabs. Drivers would have ID and pedicabs would have licence plates.
Fares would also be regulated and charged by the minute after reports of users, especially tourists, being charged hundreds of pounds for short rides. The level of pricing has yet to be set but some pedicab operators have said that lower rates would drive them out of the business.
In further bad news for lovers of pop music, which is often blasted out to the streets via loudspeakers, TfL also proposes “prohibiting the use of externally amplified audio” on pedicabs.
TfL and City Hall were also keen to highlight the positive side of pedicabs – describing them as zero-emission, flexible and a potentially safe and enjoyable travel option for the capital’s “vibrant night-time economy”.
However, Sadiq Khan, the mayor, and transport authorities want the consultation to enable a comprehensive regulatory framework as soon as possible, likely in early 2026. TfL said it aimed to ensure that pedicabs were “driven, maintained and operated in a safe and professional manner, while preserving their role as a sustainable and enjoyable way to experience the city”.
Khan said: “Pedicabs should be a fun and green way to see the sights of our city, but without regulation some drivers are behaving unsafely and antisocially.
“I’ve always been clear that regulation and licensing for the pedicabs industry in London is needed so that we can significantly improve safety, drive up standards and bring an end to tourists and Londoners being overcharged.”
While London has been considering a clampdown for decades, it was only formally granted the powers to regulate the industry in 2024 after Rishi Sunak’s government announced it would combat what the former prime minister described as the “scourge of pedicabs”.
Will Norman, London’s walking and cycling commissioner, said action was necessary to ensure the safety of customers, drivers, pedestrians, and other road users alike. He urged Londoners and the industry to comment on the range of proposals, “such as how we can better regulate fares and stop the extortionate overpricing of passengers”.
TfL received more than 7,500 responses to its initial consultation, with 95% backing regulation.
Helen Chapman, TfL’s director of licensing and regulation, said: “We’re committed to working with the pedicab industry and the public to ensure that regulation is proportionate, enforceable and delivers real improvements for everyone. We’d encourage everyone to have their say in the next six weeks before we analyse the feedback and make new regulations as early as possible next year.”
The consultation will run for six weeks.
