London’s licensed taxi drivers could be left waiting without pay under proposed changes to how waiting time is charged on pre-booked journeys, the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA) has warned.
Transport for London (TfL) is proposing that the meter should not start until the passenger is safely inside the taxi and any mobility aids have been loaded and secured, according to the association. The change would apply to bookings made through apps, by telephone, online or in person.
Writing in the LTDA’s TAXI Newspaper, association executive Anthony Street says the approach would leave drivers carrying the cost of every minute a passenger keeps them waiting at the pickup point.
“You arrive at the agreed time. The passenger is still getting ready. 10, 15 or 20 minutes pass. You cannot accept another fare because you have committed yourself to this booking. Your costs continue, but the meter stays off,” he writes.
The distinction matters because most licensed taxi drivers are self-employed. Street says drivers pay for their vehicles, insurance, licensing, maintenance and fuel, either directly or through a rental garage, and have no salary, holiday pay or employer to absorb the cost of a customer who keeps them waiting.
“There is no salary arriving at the end of the month, no holiday pay and no employer covering the cost when a customer keeps us waiting,” he writes. “Our income depends on the work we undertake and the hours we put in.”
A single wait may cost little, the association argues, but repeated waits across a working day could eat into earnings and leave drivers choosing between accepting the lost time or working longer hours to make it back. “Neither answer, as you’re aware, is acceptable,” Street writes.
Street draws a distinction between time spent travelling to collect a passenger and time spent waiting once the driver has reached the agreed pickup point at the agreed time. “There is an important distinction between charging while travelling to collect a passenger and charging for waiting after arriving at the agreed place and time,” he writes. “I believe TfL should recognise this too.”
The association has also raised concerns about how booking companies would handle the change. Street says TfL indicates that companies could continue charging passengers waiting or cancellation fees, even if drivers face restrictions on what they receive through the meter.
“So a company might collect a waiting fee whilst you, the driver, who supplied the vehicle, attended the booking and missed other work, receive nothing for that wait,” he writes.
Street is also seeking greater transparency over deductions and charges made by booking platforms, including commissions, technology charges and other fees. He says these need to be considered together with waiting time because each reduces the amount drivers retain after operating costs.
TfL also proposes removing the authorised booking extra of up to £2, according to Street, who says this could affect some journeys and result in double charging. He argues that any decision should be based on evidence about incorrect charges, rather than removing a legitimate source of income without assessing the effect on drivers.
The consequences could extend beyond individual earnings, Street says. If a booking becomes uneconomic after unpaid waiting, travel to the pickup point and commission deductions, drivers may be less willing to accept similar journeys. He warns that reduced availability could affect suburban areas and passengers who depend on accessible taxis.
The LTDA’s position is that the proposals should be assessed as a package, including waiting time, booking extras, cancellation fees and platform deductions. Street says the apparent value of a small charge can change once it is considered over a week, month or year.
“Every driver should respond to this consultation with their true feelings, so our voice is heard and something is done,” he writes, urging drivers to provide examples of waiting times, cancellations, missed work and operating costs. “We need a fair system for passengers, but fairness must work both ways.”
The proposals remain under consultation and are not yet in force. TfL’s taxi fares review is open for responses until 22 November 2026. The review is also considering whether black cab fares should rise by up to 7%, a separate proposal that has already drawn attention from the trade.
Driver livelihoods have been under pressure from several directions this year, including concerns over driverless taxi trials in the capital, which prompted a protest by drivers who said they feared for their jobs.
