Mayor To Make Age Limit Announcement : Khan Loses £22m Ring Fenced For Taxis, But Cycle Budget Is Safe

The Mayor has chosen this morning, just ahead of the Christmas break to try and bury his really bad news for the trade, a ‘kick in the teeth’. 

This is the Mayor’s Christmas present for the cab trade. 

In the coming New Year, he will be consulting on reducing the taxi age limit to 12 years on all but the new electric, LPG and the latest Euro VI diesel cabs (roughly 65 plates and later)! 

Now although the wording is consulting on reducing, we all know that this is just another done deal. With certain people who have financial interests in selling the TXe rubbing their hands. 

To add insult to injury Khan will also be announcing that he no longer has control of the £40 million he assured us was ‘Ring Fenced’ to assist the trade to purchase the new electric cabs. 

Apparently, he has somehow ‘lost’ £22 million, and now only has £18 million left!

Amazingly, none of the £1bn budget set aside for cycle lanes and Taxi exemption signs has “gone missing”. 

Question of the day....HOW DO YOU LOSE £22 MILLION ?

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT : 

And now for the good news....after meeting with Mike Brown and Chris Grayling, Uber's CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has given his permission for Uber and other PH drivers to be charged congestion charges. This allegedly on the understanding that Uber minibuses will be allowed to use all bus lanes and restricted right and left turns.

The minicab industry had warned most fares would rise by 10-20 per cent, some would treble and minicabs “could become as expensive as black cabs”.

Minicabs have been exempt from the C-charge since its introduction more than 15 years ago.

Today the Mayor, who has been unable to impose a cap on the number of drivers licensed by Transport for London, decided to remove the exemption from April 8.