London business chiefs on Tuesday have hailed a crackdown on dodgy pedicab drivers in London.
They stressed that the new licensing system in a bill in the King’s Speech will close an archaic legislative loophole which allowed rogue drivers to fleece tourists and other people in the capital with fares running into hundreds of pounds.
James Watkins, London Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s head of policy and public impact, said: “For too long rogue pedicab operators have played fast and loose with the law.
“Too many visitors to our city have been fleeced and intimidated - which has harmed London’s global reputation.
“Those days will soon be over thanks to the news that the licensing of pedicabs is in the King’s Speech. This is good news for the reputable pedicab operators, good news for tourists and good news for London.”
The Hippodrome’s executive chairman Simon Thomas added: “You can hear the cheering throughout the West End.
“Hopefully this will see an end to....overcharging by pedicabs and bring a new era of vehicle safety and driver checks, and an end to pavement obstruction.”
Nickie Aiken, Conservative MP for the Cities of London and Westminster, campaigned for four years for the licensing system.
Pedicabs have not been regulated due to the loophole in the Metropolitan Public Carriage Act 1869 which meant their operators are not classified as stage carriages.
This meant that there is no requirement for insurance, no requirement for fares to be fixed or consistent, and no requirement for vehicles or drivers to be quality assessed.
She told The Standard: “It is so important that we regulate pedicabs to make them safe to use.
“Currently we do not know if the vehicles are safe to be on the road, that the drivers are safe to take passengers, there is no regulation of fares which means time and time again tourists and visitors to London are ripped off, often by hundreds of pounds.”
Ms Aiken hopes the licensing system will be up and running by next summer.
The new legislation is expected to be based on two Private Members Bills which the central London MP tried to get through Parliament previously.
Her proposals would mean pedicabs will be licensed on a similar basis to other private hire vehicles in the capital, including setting standards for operators, drivers and the three-wheel bikes, checking that the drivers have the right to work in the UK, and allowing licensed operators to provide a service to passengers who can be reassured of their safety.
