A crackdown on rip-off pedicabs in London is being imposed by Sir Sadiq Khan with new fare restrictions.
Drivers of the tourist vehicles will also be banned from playing loud music.
They will have to undergo enhanced security checks, like taxi drivers, to ensure passengers are not being put at risk.
Pedicabs will also need to be fitted with number plates.
The vehicles are popular with tourists in the West End and other parts of central London.
But the trade has been blighted by some drivers charging exorbitant fees, sometimes for short journeys, and loud music being blared out, including when the vehicles are stationary.
Under new regulations, maximum fares would be based on:
* A base fare of up to £5
* A per minute charge of up to £1
* If there is more than one passenger, an extra charge of up to £3 for every additional passenger
The new restrictions, which still need to be approved by Transport for London’s finance committee on February 25, aim to stamp out tourists being ripped off by pedicab drivers, sometimes to the tune of hundreds of pounds.
“Pedicabs should be a fun way to explore London,” Sir Sadiq stressed, announcing the proposed new regulations.
“But too often people face rip-off fares, blaring music and unsafe behaviour.
“We’re bringing in these new rules so that both customers and drivers can benefit from an industry that is more safe, reliable and professional.”
TfL said meters will not be made mandatory and the rules will be enforced by its officers.
Pedicab drivers will have to undergo enhanced DBS checks, have a full driving licence or valid theory test certificate.
They will also have to meet English language requirements, pass a safety, equality and regulatory assessment, as well as minimum medical standards.
There will be an external audio ban on pedicabs which will have to pass road legal and regular safety checks.
Pedicab operators will need to keep records and their staff undergo DBS checks.
The new regulations will start to be imposed from next month.
But there will be transitional arrangements to allow pedicab drivers time to ensure they are meeting the new rules.
The regulated maximum fares will come into force from October 30, together with driver and operator licences.
City Hall stressed that TfL will enforce the new maximum fares to stop customers being over-charged.
Fare levels, it added, had been set with the aim that drivers’ income is above the London Living Wage.
Annual licensing fees are proposed for pedicab drivers at £114 and for the vehicles at £100.
Drivers will be able to apply for licences from March 9, and they will become mandatory from October 30, and for vehicles from next February.
The crackdown follows the Pedicabs (London) Act 2024 which was pushed through the Commons by former Tory MP Nickie Aiken, who represented the Cities of London and Westminster.
Heart of London Business Alliance’s Chief Executive, Ros Morgan, said: “HOLBA has campaigned for more than a decade to see pedicabs regulated, because people should be able to board a pedicab confident that it is roadworthy, that drivers are properly vetted and that fares are transparent.
“These regulations are a significant step forward for the nation’s capital, protecting passengers and enabling the pedicab sector to operate legitimately while strengthening London’s reputation as a world-class destination.”
