London’s licensed taxi drivers are calling for a temporary pause to the 12-year vehicle age limit, warning that the capital could face a shortage of black cabs as older vehicles are forced off the road.
Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA) General Secretary Steve McNamara said members were concerned that London could lose licensed taxis as older vehicles reach the age limit, while the next generation of cabs remains some time away.
Writing in the LTDA’s TAXI newspaper, McNamara said the association was receiving “lots of calls and emails from members who are concerned about the possible shortage of cabs, as older cabs fall foul of the 12-year age limit.” He added that he was seeing “more and more” taxis come off licence.
The concern follows confirmation that the next-generation LEVC TX6 is expected in 2027. McNamara said he wrote to Transport for London after the announcement, asking for a pause to the 12-year vehicle age limit while drivers wait for the new model.
TfL’s response
In a letter dated 6 October, TfL’s Director of Sponsored Services and Regulatory Compliance, Danny Price, replied that the authority recognised concerns about vehicle supply during the period between the end of TX5 production and the TX6’s introduction. He described LEVC’s investment and commitment to London’s taxi trade as “positive news for the industry and for passengers.”
Price said TfL would “continue to monitor the situation closely, including the availability of vehicles across the market and any implications for fleet numbers and customer demand.” He noted that drivers could access licensed vehicles through leasing and the second-hand market, as well as by buying a new vehicle.
The letter also said TfL would assess whether mitigating measures might be needed to help drivers access suitable vehicles and continue operating in London. Any such assessment, Price wrote, would consider the effects on passengers and drivers, vehicle standards and air quality.
Crucially, TfL did not confirm that it would suspend or change the age limit. The position remains under review as plans for the next generation of taxi vehicles progress.
McNamara said he was still waiting for a final decision, which he expected would not come until the following month. He described Price’s letter as open to interpretation — his reading was that TfL was “simply” saying: “Hang on, we are looking at it.”
Why the age limit exists
The 12-year age limit is an emissions measure at heart. Introduced as part of the drive to clean up London’s air, it ensures the taxi fleet turns over regularly, pushing older, more polluting vehicles off the road. It sits alongside the Ultra Low Emission Zone and the requirement that new taxis be zero-emission capable — policies that have transformed the capital’s cab fleet over the past decade.
For the trade, the rule has always been a double-edged sword. It keeps the fleet modern and supports the environmental case for the black cab, but it also forces drivers to replace vehicles on a fixed timetable regardless of their condition or their finances. A new electric taxi is a major investment, and the economics only work if drivers can earn enough during the vehicle’s licensed life to pay for it.
The supply gap
The current problem is one of timing. Production of the TX5 — the electric taxi that has defined the modern fleet — has ended, but its successor, the TX6, is not expected until 2027. Drivers whose vehicles are hitting the 12-year limit in the meantime face an unenviable choice: buy a TX5 that is itself ageing out of production, gamble on the second-hand market, or leave the trade.
McNamara’s warning is that enough drivers will choose the last option to dent fleet numbers. London has already seen taxi numbers fall from their historic highs, and every cab that comes off licence without replacement means longer waits for passengers — particularly at peak times and in the outer boroughs where alternatives are thinner.
TfL’s suggestion of leasing and second-hand vehicles is, for many drivers, easier said than done. Suitable licensed vehicles in good condition command strong prices precisely because supply is tight, and leasing costs have to be weighed against uncertain earnings.
What a pause would mean
A temporary pause to the age limit would keep older cabs on the road a little longer, easing the supply squeeze until the TX6 arrives. For passengers, that means more cabs available — the trade-off being that some of those cabs would be older and less clean than the rules currently allow.
TfL’s caution is understandable: relaxing an emissions rule, even temporarily, cuts against years of air-quality policy. But the authority’s own letter acknowledges the dilemma, promising to weigh effects on passengers and drivers alongside vehicle standards and air quality. The decision, expected next month, will reveal which way that balance tips.
London Streets has been covering the Tube loudspeaker row and this weekend’s road closures today.
