Mayor to tackle Capital's taxi touts

17 June 2008

Following a fact-finding mission where he saw for himself the extent of the problem of illegal cabs, Mayor of London, Boris Johnson has asked Transport for London and the Metropolitan Police to press ahead with plans for a crackdown.

These vehicles are not properly insured and pose a real danger

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson

The Mayor said: 'There are taxi touts on the streets of the Capital every night.

'They circle the hot spots of London to hunt their prey - innocent Londoners enjoying a good night out who may not be aware that these vehicles are not properly insured and pose a real danger to anyone tempted to use them.'

Plans to crack down on illegal cabs include:

Doubling the number of dedicated cab enforcement officers from 34 to 68
More high profile operations aimed at preventing touting
A 'one strike' rule that would mean any licensed driver convicted of touting would immediately have their licence revoked
To pre-book a cab from a licensed firm, just text HOME to 60835 and receive numbers for local 24-hour licensed operators - one taxi and two minicab firms

Mayor to tackle Capital's taxi touts

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