Transport for LondonPublic Carriage Office
Skip to navigation << Back to indexThe Public Carriage Office (PCO) licenses London's taxi and private hire services which provide three million trips in and around the capital every week. There are 21,000 licensed taxis, 25,000 licensed taxi drivers, and over 2,100 licensed private hire operators. 30,000 private hire drivers are registered with the PCO, awaiting the introduction of licensing, and 31,000 private hire vehicles are registered for exemption from the congestion charge.
Last year, the final round of public consultation on private hire driver licensing was completed, allowing work to begin finalising licensing regulations ready for issue on 1 April 2003. A contract was signed to provide a vehicle licensing inspection service. Companies were also invited to bid for the provision of a medical assessment service for both taxi and private hire driver applicants and drivers.
Work was completed on the assessment and review of the taxi Conditions of Fitness, including vehicle turning circles and progress was also made as part of the Mayor's air quality strategy that deals with the reduction of harmful emissions by licensed London taxis.
Following the successful introduction of a revised Knowledge of London 'Blue Book' to reduce unnecessary duplication and deliver a more effective route distribution and improved layout, work moved to the next stage. This will include an independent study of the potential for in-car navigation systems to reduce reliance on acquired and remembered Knowledge of London.
The Mayor's 'Safer Travel at Night' initiative featured the launch of the 'Know What You're Getting Into?' poster campaign and a Christmas film to raise awareness about the dangers of minicab touts. The PCO continued its work in partnership with the Transport Operation Command Unit (TOCU) to combat illegal plying for hire and touting activities.
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