According to figures published at the end of June 2021 by the Department of Transport, the number of licensed taxis and private hire vehicles plus the number of licensed drivers dropped when comparing the 12 months to 31st March 2021 with the same period last year. This will probably not come as a surprise to taxi drivers as one of the reasons why there will have been a reduction is due to the pandemic.

As at 31st March 2021, there were 251,100 licensed taxis and private hire vehicles registered in England. That was a drop of 15.9% when compared with the same date in 2020. Apparently, 77% of such vehicles are private hire vehicles. As at 31st March 2021, there were 343,800 taxi and private hire vehicle drivers registered in England with this being 5.7% less than the same date last year.

It is interesting that the number of licensed vehicles fell by 20.9% between the above periods in London. Elsewhere, in England, the number of licensed vehicles dropped by 12.8%. London also saw a larger percentage drop in the number of licensed drivers than the rest of England – 5.9% compared to 5.7%.

The West Midlands saw a drop of 16.7% in the number of licensed vehicles between the earlier mentioned periods. The South East saw a fall of 15.0%. The North East witnessed a drop of 13.4%. The North West saw a reduction of 12.8%. The East of England saw a fall of 12.4%. The South West a drop of 12.3%. Yorkshire and the Humber a drop of 9.9% and East Midlands a drop of 4.8%.

The number of licensed operators fell by 6% to 15,100 between 1st April 2020 and 31st March 2021.

If you look at the statistics for drivers, 93% are male and 7% female. Most taxi and private hire vehicle drivers are self-employed. It is interesting that the average age of a taxi driver and private hire vehicle driver in England is 48 with 22% of such drivers being less than 40 years of age.

Let us hope that, as lockdown measures are eased, there is an increase in the number of people deciding to become taxi and private hire vehicle drivers.