National statistics

Taxi and private hire vehicle statistics, England: 2023

Published 11 July 2023

Applies to England

About this release

This statistical release presents information on taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) in England as at 1 April 2023. This includes PHV operators and drivers who use app-based technology. However, we are not able to disaggregate which drivers are using these apps in the figures presented. The release also includes experimental statistics on the fuel type and age of taxis and PHVs, which have been developed further since last year, with several years of data now available.

Data for 2023 represent the position as at 1 April, whereas in previous years they represented the position as at 31 March. This is unlikely to have any noticeable impact on numbers of licensed drivers, vehicles and operators, but allows policy changes introduced on 1 April (the start of a new financial year) to be captured, so that the latest possible picture is presented in these statistics.

Figures are updated every year through surveying each licensing authority (a unitary or lower tier authority) in England and Wales. Some of the data are derived from other additional sources.

This release largely refers to England only, but data for Wales can be found in the associated tables.

Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles

Taxis, also known as hackney carriages, are available for immediate hire, can be hailed in the street (‘ply for hire’) or accept pre-bookings. Taxis have two types of licences, a vehicle licence (issued to the owner of the taxi) and a driving licence.

Private hire vehicles, also known as minicabs, must be pre-booked and cannot use taxi ranks. It is illegal for PHVs to ply for hire. PHVs have three types of licences: a vehicle licence, a driving licence and an operator licence.

Headline figures

Between 2022 and 2023 the total number of licensed vehicles and drivers both increased compared with the previous year, but they remain below pre-pandemic levels.

Summary

Trends since 2005

Chart 1 is a line chart that shows how the number of licensed vehicles and drivers has changed over time. Between 2005 and 2020, the total number of licensed vehicles increased from 184,500 in 2005 to 298,600 in 2020. This figure then fell sharply to 251,100 in 2021, before increasing again to 289,400 in 2023.

Chart 1 shows that there were 346,300 driver licences in 2023, an increase of 4.9% compared to the previous year. Between 2005 and 2020 the number of driver licences increased from 242,100 to 364,700. It then fell to 330,000 in 2022 before increasing again in 2023.

Licence lengths for vehicles are generally shorter than those for drivers. This is likely to explain the slightly different trends seen in vehicle and driver licences over the course of the pandemic.

Chart 1: Total licensed taxi and private hire vehicles and drivers: England, since 2005 - TAXI0102

Long term taxi trends

Chart 2 is a line chart that shows that between 1972 and 2015 the numbers of licensed taxis in London, and in England and Wales outside of London, both broadly followed an increasing trend, albeit at different rates. Since 2015 the numbers have fallen, with a particularly sharp fall seen since 2020, which is likely to be at least in part due to the coronavirus pandemic. The number of taxis in 2023 was substantially higher than in 1972: the numbers of licensed taxis almost quadrupled in England and Wales outside of London (increasing from 12,400 to 46,400), while over the same period the numbers in London increased by 45% (from 10,100 to 15,100). Prior to 2005 the only data available relates to the number of licensed taxis and licensed taxi drivers for England and Wales as a whole. Other than for London, data at a lower geographical level is not available.

Chart 2: Licensed taxi vehicle numbers in London, and England and Wales outside of London, from 1972 - TAXI0101

Following the Transport Act 1985, the number of taxis outside of London increased as more district councils licensed taxis.

2023 summary

Table 1 summarises the 2023 taxi and PHV licensing statistics. Figures for licensed vehicles, PHV operators and drivers are shown for London, England outside of London, and England.

Table 1: Summary of 2023 taxi and private hire vehicle licensing figures compared with 2022 - TAXI0102

	London - 1 April 2023 (thousands)	London - percentage change from 31 March 2022	England outside of London - 1 April 2023 (thousands)	England outside of London - percentage change from 31 March 2022	England - 1 April 2023 (thousands)	England - percentage change from 31 March 2022
Total licensed vehicles	104.7	10%	184.7	12%	289.4	11%
Taxis	15.1	3%	42.1	-3%	57.2	-1%
Wheelchair accessible taxis	15.1	3%	16.3	-6%	31.5	-1%
Private hire vehicles (PHVs)	89.6	11%	142.6	17%	232.2	15%
Wheelchair accessible PHVs	0.5	-9%	4.6	7%	5.1	5%
Licensed PHV operators	1.6	-8%	13.4	7%	15.0	5%
Total driver licences	119.8	0%	226.5	8%	346.3	5%
Taxi only licences	18.3	-6%	18.5	-8%	36.8	-7%
PHV only licences	101.5	1%	130.5	15%	232.0	8%
Dual licences	0	Not applicable	72.6	1%	72.6	1%
Both taxi and PHV licences	0	Not applicable	4.9	5%	4.9	5%

Other sources of data

Transport for London publishes taxi and PHV statistics for London on a regular basis.

The Scottish Government also collects and publishes statistics on the number of licensed taxis and PHVs in Scotland in Scottish Transport Statistics. Scotland operates under a different licensing regime.

Licensed vehicles

There were 289,400 licensed taxis and PHVs in England in 2023. Around a fifth (57,200) of these vehicles were taxis (see chart 3, which is a line chart). The total number of licensed vehicles increased by 11.0% between 2022 and 2023, driven by a 14.6% increase in PHV numbers. The number of taxis fell by 1.3% over the same period.

Chart 3: Licensed vehicles by type and area: England, since 2005 - TAXI0101

As at 1 April 2023:

• there were 57,200 licensed taxis, a 1.3% decrease from 2022
• licensed taxis in London increased by 3.4%
• taxis in England outside of London fell by 2.9%
• there were 232,200 licensed PHVs, a 14.6% increase from 2022

There was a larger increase in PHVs in England outside of London compared to London, 16.8% and 11.3% respectively.

Licensing authorities (outside of London) are able to impose limits on the numbers of taxis licensed to operate within their area. However, they are unable to impose such limits on PHVs. In 2023 72 licensing authorities (25% of licensing authorities with licensed taxis) applied a limit on the numbers of licensed taxis, with a further 8 setting limits either for some of the areas they covered, or some vehicle types. These figures have been broadly similar over the last couple of years.

In England as a whole, licensed vehicle numbers increased by 11.0% between 2022 and 2023. There was considerable variation between regions, however, with some regions seeing small increases in numbers, while others saw large rises. The number of licensed vehicles in the West Midlands increased by 31.8% between 2022 and 2023, mainly due to a large increase in Wolverhampton, while the number in the North West increased by 4.2%. More detail on trends in regions and individual local authorities can be found in the associated tables.

Licensed taxi and PHV vehicles per 1,000 people

In 2023, there were on average 5.1 licensed taxi and PHV vehicles per 1,000 people in England, an increase from 4.6 in 2022. Chart 4 is a stacked bar chart that shows that the number of licensed vehicles per 1,000 people generally decreases as areas become more rural. In London there were 11.9 vehicles per 1,000 people, compared with 2.2 in areas that were largely rural.

Chart 4: Number of licensed taxis and private hire vehicles per 1,000 people by urban-rural classification, England 2023 - TAXI0105

Wolverhampton had the highest number of licensed vehicles per 1,000 population, with 85.3, while several rural areas had less than 1 licensed taxi per 1,000 people. Differences between local authorities can reflect factors such as licensing policies and processes, as well as levels of provision. For example, it is sometimes the case that private hire vehicles can be licensed in one authority while operating primarily elsewhere. The large increase seen in licensed private hire drivers and vehicles by the City of Wolverhampton Council between 2022 and 2023 is likely to be as a result of some of these factors.

Licensed drivers

There were 346,300 driver licences in England, 16,300 (4.9%) more than in 2022. Of the total licences, 67% were PHV-only licences, 11% were taxi-only licences and 21% were dual taxi and PHV licences. Dual licences allow the holder to drive both taxis and PHVs.

The regional picture varied considerably when looking at the change in the number of licensed drivers between 2022 and 2023. While the West Midlands saw a large increase (28.0%), again mainly due to a large increase in Wolverhampton, most other regions either saw increases or falls of less than 5%. More detail on trends in regions and individual local authorities can be found in the associated tables.

Licensed PHV operators

PHV operators need to be licensed to accept bookings and dispatch vehicles to customers. The number of licensed PHV operators in England increased by 5.1% to 15,000 from the previous year, but still remains below the levels seen in 2019 and 2020. PHV operators declined by 7.7% to 1,600 operators in London but increased by 6.8% to 13,400 operators in England outside of London.

In the year ending 31 March 2023, 2,800 applications were made by new PHV operators (either new companies, or existing operators not already licensed by that licensing authority). This represented an increase of 46% from the previous year, and is likely to indicate some recovery in the sector following the coronavirus pandemic.

Accessibility

In England, 13% of all licensed vehicles were wheelchair accessible in 2023. 55% of all taxis were wheelchair accessible while 2% of PHVs were wheelchair accessible. This is similar to the proportions in 2022.

In London, all 15,100 taxis were wheelchair accessible, as required by Transport for London’s ‘Conditions for Fitness’ taxi licensing policy. In the rest of England outside of London, 39% of taxis were wheelchair accessible. In several other large cities, such as Birmingham and Manchester, all of the licensed taxis were wheelchair accessible.

In London, less than 1% of PHVs were wheelchair accessible, whereas in the rest of England this figure was slightly higher at 3%. Generally speaking, metropolitan areas tended to have higher proportions of wheelchair accessible taxis, but lower proportions of wheelchair accessible PHVs.

As Map 1 shows, in England outside of London, there was considerable variation in the proportion of licensed vehicles that were wheelchair accessible. The West Midlands had a disproportionate number of local authorities in which more than 30% of all licensed vehicles were wheelchair accessible, compared to the rest of England outside of London. There was no clear geographic variation in the number of authorities in which less than 5% of all licensed vehicles were wheelchair accessible.

Map 1: Proportion of licensed vehicles that were wheelchair accessible in 2023 by licensing authority, England - TAXI0104

Some areas are unable to provide numbers of wheelchair accessible taxis and or PHVs. In 2023, West Berkshire were unable to provide numbers.

Accessibility policies

Training requirements TAXI0110

The increase in the number of authorities requiring disability awareness training for taxi and PHV drivers has continued in 2023. The number of authorities requiring disability awareness training for taxi drivers has increased from 43% in 2019 to 62% in 2023, while the number of authorities requiring disability awareness training for PHV drivers has increased from 41% to 60% over the same period.

Wheelchair policies TAXI0110

67% of authorities require all or part of the taxi fleet to be wheelchair accessible, a small increase from 64% in 2019. However, only 5% of authorities require all or part of the PHV fleet to be wheelchair accessible. 94% of authorities maintain a list of wheelchair accessible taxis in accordance with section 167 of the Equality Act 2010 (an increase from 72% in 2019), while 91% maintain a list of wheelchair accessible PHVs (an increase from 62% in 2019).

Equality Act 2010 prosecutions in England and Wales

Background information on prosecutions data

The figures relate to defendants for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.

This is bespoke analysis from the Criminal Justice System quarterly statistical series, year ending December 2022.

Chart 5 is a line chart that shows a rolling average of the number of prosecutions for offences committed by taxi and private hire vehicle drivers and operators in relation to sections 168 and 170 (assistance dog refusals by taxi and PHV drivers), and section 165 (wheelchair user discrimination by taxi and PHV drivers) in England and Wales. In the year ending 31 December 2022, there were 4 prosecutions, which represented a large decrease from the 18 seen in 2021. Figures for 2020 onwards have all been considerably lower than those seen before the pandemic, with 47 prosecutions taking place in 2019.

Chart 5: Prosecutions for offences by taxi and PHV drivers and operators under the Equality Act 2010, England and Wales, 2013 to 2022

In the 10 years from 2013 to 2022, the majority of prosecutions were for failing to accept bookings to carry assistance dogs (60%). While it is not possible to calculate a precise conviction rate, based on the ratio of prosecutions to convictions it appears that the conviction rate has been around 80% over the last 10 years.

Safeguarding policies

There were 263 taxi and PHV licensing authorities in England as at 1 April 2023. However, for the 2023 survey, responses were received separately from the 3 non-Metropolitan districts that make up the unitary authority of Westmorland and Furness, which was formed on 1 April 2023. The 4 districts that make up the new unitary authority of Somerset also provided separate returns for the 2023 survey. This was because these districts were unable to provide a single response, as they still had different licensing policies in place as at 1 April 2023 due to transitional arrangements following the creation of the new unitary authorities.

There were also 2 authorities that did not have any taxis licensed as at 1 April 2023, and therefore did not provide responses to the questions about safeguarding policies for taxi drivers.

As a result of these factors, the numbers of authorities quoted below does not match the total number of licensing authorities that exist.

Child sexual abuse, child sexual exploitation awareness, and county lines training TAXI0109

As at 1 April 2023, the vast majority of authorities required taxi drivers (95% or 254 out of 267) and PHV drivers (95% or 255 out of 268) to complete child sexual abuse (CSA) or child sexual exploitation (CSE) awareness training. These proportions have increased from 70% (for both taxi and PHV drivers) in 2018. 64% of licensing authorities required both CSA/CSE training and county lines training.

Security checks TAXI0109

All authorities required an enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) security check and barred list checks for taxi and PHV drivers. The proportions of authorities requiring enhanced DBS and barred list checks has grown from 80% (for both taxi and PHV drivers) in 2017.

CCTV TAXI0108

As at 1 April 2023 6% of authorities had a requirement for all licensed taxis to have CCTV fitted (17 out of 266) and 6% had a requirement for all licensed PHVs to have CCTV fitted (16 out of 268). These represented a slight increase from the previous year. Of the authorities with the CCTV requirement, 13 had a requirement for the CCTV to have the facility to record audio in taxis, and 14 had this requirement for PHVs.

Almost all of the authorities without the CCTV requirement did allow licensed vehicles to have CCTV fitted. Only 3 authorities did not allow licensed taxis to have CCTV fitted. The equivalent figure for PHVs was also 3.

National register of revocations, refusals and suspensions (use of NR3S database) TAXI0118

National Register of Refusals, Revocations and Suspensions (NR3S)

The National Register of Refusals, Revocations and Suspensions (NR3S) is an operational database maintained by the National Anti-Fraud Network (NAFN). Licensing authorities are able to search the database to check whether a driver who is applying for a licence has previously had their licence removed, revoked or suspended by another authority, and can enter information on drivers whose licences they have refused, revoked or suspended.

The data are based on all searches and entries in the database carried out by licensing authorities. The figures shown are therefore management information, and not official statistics.

Use of the NR3S database was optional for licensing authorities during the year ending 31 March 2023. Use of the database has since been made mandatory in England (but not Wales) from April 2023 onwards. Prior to this, licensing authorities received access to the database at different times. Therefore caution should be exercised when attempting to make any comparisons between authorities.

In the year ending 31 March 2023, there were 152,200 searches of the NR3S database by licensing authorities in England, which equated to approximately 0.4 searches per licensed driver in England. Over the same period there were 5,600 entries in the database, which equated to around 0.016 entries per licensed driver.

The majority (84%) of licensing authorities made some searches of the NR3S database during the year ending 31 March 2023. A smaller proportion (67%) made some entries into the database during the same period. There are several reasons why authorities may not have done so, such as not having access to the database at the time, or not revoking, refusing or suspending any licences during the year.

Taxi and PHV drivers

Background information on taxi driver data

Information in this section is based on the Labour Force Survey (LFS), a large study of the employment circumstances of the UK population, run by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The drivers in this section are defined using the Standard Occupational Classification system, SOC 2020, as “Taxi and cab drivers and chauffeurs” (code 8213), which will contain taxi drivers, PHV drivers and chauffeurs. The respondent reports their occupation to the interviewer and is then classified in this way during the interview, so the exact occupation of each respondent cannot be determined. As part of the interview respondents are asked whether they are employed or self-employed, but this is self-reported and may differ to their status under employment legislation.

These data differ to the rest of this release in that they refer to those who self-report their current occupation as being a taxi or PHV driver. It is possible for a person to hold a licence and not work as a driver, or for a person to not hold a licence but still claim to work as a driver.

Chart 6 is a line chart that shows the number of “taxi and cab drivers and chauffeurs” in England between 2009 and 2023. The number of taxi and cab drivers and chauffeurs fell between 2009 and 2013, from around 202,000 to 164,000. This number then increased to around 214,000 in 2019. There were an estimated 143,000 drivers operating in England during 2023, which was 13% higher than 2022 (127,000) but still much lower than before the coronavirus pandemic. It is likely that the large fall since 2020 can be attributed to the coronavirus pandemic reducing the demand for taxis and PHVs. However, increases in driver numbers in the last couple of years suggest that demand may be increasing again.

Chart 6: Number of “Taxi and cab drivers and chauffeurs”, England, 2009 to 2023 (Labour Force Survey)

Who drives taxis and PHVs?

The majority of drivers were male (93%) in 2023. This proportion has been higher than 90% for all of the last 10 years.

The average age of a driver was 51 years old in 2023, which was broadly in line with previous years. Chart 7 is a bar chart that shows that 21% of drivers were aged under 40, while those aged 60 or over also made up 21% of drivers. There has been a change in the age profile of drivers over the past ten years, with a slightly smaller proportion of younger drivers and a larger proportion of drivers over the age of 40.

In 2023, the two main ethnic groups of drivers were Asian or Asian British, and White. These comprised 50% and 35% of drivers respectively. This compares to 29% and 63% respectively in 2010.

Chart 7: Age profile of “Taxi and cab drivers and chauffeurs”, England, 2013 and 2023 (Labour Force Survey)

The proportion of self-employed drivers in 2023 (84%) has increased since 2010, when this figure was 76%. The proportion of part-time drivers (16%) appears to have fallen slightly in recent years.

Taxi and PHV passengers

National Travel Survey

The National Travel Survey (NTS) is a household survey of personal travel by residents of England travelling within Great Britain, from data collected via interviews and a seven-day travel diary. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic from March 2020, has had a substantial impact on travel trends in 2020 and 2021 and has affected the operation of this survey. Fieldwork for the NTS 2021 survey continued to be impacted by the coronavirus restrictions from March 2020, with data collection combining the approach used in 2020 with interviews being conducted via telephone (push-to-telephone approach) instead of face-to-face, and to increase response rates, doorstep recruitment by trained interviewers with interviews being conducted over the telephone (knock-to-nudge approach).

Response rates to the survey in 2021 were halfway between 2019 levels (14,356 individuals) and 2020 levels (6,239 individuals) with 9,971 individuals participating in the survey, an increase of 60% compared to 2020, but a decrease of 31% compared to 2019. Consequently, caution is needed when interpreting these results for 2020 and 2021 as they are likely to be less representative of residents of England compared to previous years. Please see our technical note for more details.

Data from the National Travel Survey (NTS) can be used to analyse the users of taxis and PHVs. Note that data collected on specific travel by taxi or PHV cannot identify which type of service was used or if app-based technology was used to hail or book.

Chart 8 is a line chart that shows the average number of taxi or PHV trips taken per person per year between 2002 and 2021. There is a slight long-term downward trend over the period 2002 to 2019, from around 12 trips per person per year in 2002 to around 11 trips per person per year in 2019.

In 2021, the average number of trips taken per person by taxi or PHV was 7, and the average distance travelled per person by taxi or PHV was 34 miles. This was up from an average of 6 trips and 28 miles in 2020. However, both of these figures represent a sharp fall from 2019, when the average number of trips per person by taxi and PHV was 11 trips and the average distance travelled was 59 miles. This can be largely attributed to restrictions associated with the coronavirus pandemic.

The average taxi or PHV trip lasted 20 minutes in 2021, an increase from 16 minutes in 2020. This is similar to the pre-pandemic trip duration of 20 minutes from 2019.

Chart 8: Average number of taxi and PHV trips taken per person per year, England, 2002 to 2021 NTS0303

Why do people travel by taxi or PHV?

Education

The NTS definition of travelling for education includes trips taken to escort someone else. In the context of trips taken by taxi or PHV, this would include a parent and child both taking a taxi or PHV to a school, college, or other place of education.

Under half (40%) of trips taken by taxi or PHV in 2021 were taken for leisure purposes, a sharp fall in proportion from 2020, when 51% of trips were taken for leisure purposes. The other common reasons for trips in 2021 were commuting (16%), personal business (10%), shopping (17%) and education (11%). Compared to 2020, there was a notable increase in the proportion of trips taken for shopping.

How often do people use taxis or PHVs?

Chart 9 is a stacked bar chart that shows the frequency of taxi or PHV usage in England in 2020 and 2021. Most people (70%) rarely used a taxi or PHV in 2021 (at most twice a year). This figure was higher in 2021 than in 2020, when it was 66%. In 2021, around 13% of people travelled by taxi or PHV at least once a month but less than once per week, and 6% of people travelled by taxi or PHV at least weekly. These figures have both fallen since 2019, prior to which they were stable for many years. Findings from the National Travel Attitudes Study Wave 5 suggest that 80% of taxi users were using taxis less frequently in January and February 2021 compared with before the pandemic.

Chart 9: Frequency of taxi or PHV usage, England, 2020 and 2021 NTS0313

Who uses taxis and PHVs?

Mobility difficulties

The NTS definition of having a mobility difficulty is based on those adults who responded to say they have difficulties travelling on foot, by bus or both.

Mobility difficulties

Chart 10 is a line chart that shows the average number of taxi or PHV trips taken per person per year between 2007 and 2021. As in previous years, in 2021 the average number of trips taken by taxi or PHV was higher for those with mobility difficulties (10 trips per person per year) compared with those with no mobility difficulties (6 trips per person per year).

Compared to the figure for 2020, these figures for 2021 show a decrease in the number of trips taken by those with mobility difficulties (from 13 to 10 trips per person per year). There was no noticeable change in the number of trips taken by those without mobility difficulties in 2021 compared with 2020, which remained at 6 trips per person per year.

Between 2007 and 2019, people with mobility difficulties took between 16 and 23 trips per year, while those without difficulties took around 10 trips.

In 2021, average taxi or PHV usage accounted for 2% of all trips for those with mobility difficulties, compared to 1% for those without mobility difficulties. These proportions have remained broadly stable since 2007.

Chart 10: Taxi or PHV trips per person per year, by mobility difficulty, England, 2007 to 2021 NTS0709

Age and sex

Chart 11 is a bar chart that shows that in 2021, on average, there was little difference in the number of trips made by taxi or PHV between men (7 trips per person per year) and women (6 trips per person per year). However, there was some variation by age, with women aged 17 to 30 taking more trips on average than men in the same age group.

There was little difference in the overall average distance travelled by taxi and PHV between men (35 miles) and women (33 miles).

Chart 11: Taxi or PHV trips per person per year, by sex, England, 2021 NTS0601

Car access

In 2021, on average, people in households without access to a car made around 8 times as many taxi or PHV trips as those with access to a car (23 trips per person compared to 3 trips per person respectively), and travelled roughly 3 times as far (77 miles per person compared to 26 miles per person respectively).

Compared to 2020, the number of trips taken and distance travelled by those without access to a car increased in 2021, whilst for those with access to a car, there was no clear difference.

The overall pattern of those without access to a car making more trips and travelling further by taxi and PHV has remained broadly stable since 2002.

Household income

In 2021, the average number of trips taken by taxi or PHV varied across income quintiles, but with no clear trend as income increases. There was also no clear trend in distance travelled by income quintile.

How far are taxi or PHV trips?

In 2021, 87% of taxi or PHV trips were for journeys of less than 10 miles. This was similar to previous years. Compared to the average for all other modes of transport, taxi trips were less likely to be less than 1 mile.

The majority of journeys by taxi and PHV (62%) were between 2 and 10 miles.

Passenger satisfaction with taxis and PHVs

National Highways and Transport Public Satisfaction Survey

The National Highways and Transport Public Satisfaction Survey collects public perspectives on, and satisfaction with, highway and transportation services on behalf of several local authorities to inform performance management and local transport plans.

The survey was launched in 2008, and is carried out in July to August of each year. The latest data available are for 2022 and covered over 100 local authorities in England.

The data at local authority level is captured through a randomly selected postal survey of households. However, because not all local authorities participate the estimates may not be fully representative of the national picture. We have excluded London from the analysis because the coverage in London is low.

Questions on satisfaction with reliability, availability and cost of taxis were not asked in the 2022 survey.

The figures in this section are not National Statistics.

Overall passenger satisfaction

On average, in the areas outside of London surveyed in England in 2022, the overall public satisfaction with taxis and PHVs was 60%, which was slightly lower than the 64% seen in 2021, and 66% in 2020.

Overall satisfaction was similar for those who use taxi or PHVs at least once a month (62%) compared to non-users (60%). This is in contrast to previous years, when satisfaction was higher for users than non-users. Satisfaction amongst users fell particularly sharply since 2021 (from 69% to 62%).

Passenger satisfaction by disability status

Of people who use a taxi or PHV at least once a month, 66% of those with a disability were satisfied, compared to 61% of those without a disability. Those with a disability also had higher levels of satisfaction in previous years, although satisfaction levels have fallen sharply for both groups since 2021.

Fuel type and age of taxis and PHVs

About these experimental statistics

These statistics are experimental statistics, reflecting the fact that they are new, innovative statistics that are still undergoing development, with an intention to develop them further in future years. We would welcome feedback on these statistics and how they might be developed further in future to meet user needs. There are some known limitations of these statistics, and these should be considered when reviewing the data.

The figures in this section are not National Statistics.

About the dataset

In 2023, these data have been compiled for the second year (after first inclusion in the 2022 publication) by matching the Taxi and PHV centralised database with the DVLA vehicle database. This allows the taxi or PHV licensing status of vehicles to be matched with vehicle characteristics (such as date of first registration and fuel type).

There are some known limitations with this approach. Firstly, the Taxi and PHV centralised database is maintained centrally but updated by individual licensing authorities. The frequency and quality of updates will vary across licensing authorities. Administrative errors and omissions are likely to make these figures an underestimate of the total taxi and PHV fleet, with this being more of an issue for some licensing authorities than others. For this reason we are not able to publish robust estimates below regional level at this stage.

Secondly, cases where vehicles have changed licence type from taxi to PHV or vice versa have been removed from the dataset to minimise the risk of duplication. This is also true where the licensing authority with which a vehicle is licensed has changed. This therefore means that the dataset does not include this sub-section of the overall fleet.

Therefore while the analysis generally gives a good indication of the characteristics of the taxi and PHV fleet in England, it represents a large proportion of the fleet rather than every vehicle in it. The proportion of all taxi and private hire vehicles represented in the dataset has gradually increased from around 80% in 2020 to around 90% in 2023.

The analysis that is presented in the publication is therefore at national and regional level, as it is not currently possible to produce robust figures at local authority level. Caution should also be taken in interpreting small changes over time at regional level, as in some regions there have been changes in coverage over the period 2020 to 2023.

Given that the data represent only a subset of the overall taxi and PHV fleet, the data are also presented as proportions rather than absolute numbers. It would not be appropriate to present absolute numbers when it is known that they would be an underestimate of the true totals.

Since the 2022 publication, the analyses in this section have been developed further. This is in part possible due to the availability of an additional year of data for 2023, but also due to the availability of backdated data for 2020 and 2021. We have also made improvements to our processes, making it easier to conduct more sophisticated analyses.

The analyses this year include:

• changes in the age and fuel type of taxis and PHVs over time
• regional comparisons (London and England outside of London) of changes in the age and fuel type of taxis and PHVs over time

In future years it is intended that the robustness of the data will improve further. We will endeavour to produce additional analysis and insights where possible.

Fuel type of taxis and PHVs - TAXI0115

Fuel type of vehicles

Full definitions of the main fuel types of vehicles can be found in the ‘Notes and definitions’ section of DfT’s vehicle licensing statistics.

A diagram showing the key properties of the main fuel types can be found in the DfT vehicle licensing statistics release.

Chart 12 is a line chart that shows that as at 31 March 2023, for the taxi fleet, the most common fuel type category was petrol and diesel (77%). Hybrid vehicles were 22% of the fleet, and 0.8% of the fleet were battery electric vehicles.

Over the period 2020 to 2023, the proportion of taxis using petrol and diesel has fallen (from 89% in 2020 to 77% in 2023). The proportion of hybrid vehicles has doubled (from 10% in 2020 to 22% in 2023), and the proportion of battery electric vehicles has increased four-fold (from 0.2% in 2020 to 0.8% in 2023).

Chart 12 also shows that as at 31 March 2023, for the PHV fleet, the most common fuel type category was petrol and diesel (53%). Hybrid vehicles were 40% of the fleet, and 6.4% of the fleet were battery electric vehicles.

Over the period 2020 to 2023, the proportion of PHVs using petrol and diesel has fallen (from 65% in 2020 to 53% in 2023). The proportion of hybrid vehicles has increased slightly (from 34% in 2020 to 40% in 2023), and the proportion of battery electric vehicles has increased eight-fold (from 0.8% in 2020 to 6.4% in 2023).

The taxi and PHV fleet has a different mix of fuel types compared with the overall car fleet. DfT vehicle licensing statistics - see VEH1103 show that as at 31 December 2022, 93% of licensed cars in England were petrol and diesel, whilst 5.3% were hybrid vehicles and 2.0% were battery electric vehicles.

This means that compared to the car fleet, the taxi fleet has around 4 times the proportion of hybrid vehicles (22%), but around half the proportion of battery electric vehicles (0.8%).

For PHVs, the comparison is somewhat different. Compared to the overall car fleet, the PHV fleet has around 8 times the proportion of hybrid vehicles (40%), and around 3 times the proportion of electric vehicles (6.4%).

Within petrol and diesel vehicles, petrol cars were far less common in both the taxi fleet (2.7% of all vehicles) and the PHV fleet (5.9% of all vehicles) than in the overall car fleet (59% of all vehicles). Diesel vehicles were considerably more common in the taxi and PHV fleets than in the overall car fleet.

In other words, amongst taxis and PHVs, diesel and hybrid electric vehicles were more common than for the car fleet as a whole, while petrol vehicles were less common. A higher proportion of taxis (14%) and PHVs (6%) were either battery electric or range extended electric than for cars as a whole (2.1%).

Chart 12: Taxi and PHV fleet by fuel type, England, 2020 to 2023

Note

Values in Chart 12 may not sum to 100% due to rounding, and the exclusion of other fuel types. Other fuel types would include alternative fuels such as hydrogen. These comprised less than 1% of both taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) in all years between 2020 and 2023.

Definitions

All hybrid This includes self-charging hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and range-extended electric vehicles.

Battery electric This includes fully electric vehicles only.

Age of taxis and PHVs - TAXI0116

How age of vehicle is calculated

The age of vehicle is calculated based on the date of first use of the vehicle. This is usually when it was first registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). However, the date of first use is typically unknown for imported vehicles and pre-1973 vehicles that were unregistered in 1973 but have subsequently been registered again. All of these vehicles will be older than their first registration date and therefore are classed as ‘unknown’ in this analysis.

Chart 13 is a line chart that shows the proportion of the taxi and PHV fleet in each age bracket between 2020 and 2023. For the taxi fleet, 49% of taxis were between 5 and 10 years old, and 30% aged 10 years and over. The PHV fleet was generally slightly younger than the taxi fleet, with 77% of vehicles under 10 years old, compared with 69% for taxis.

Over the period 2020 to 2023, for both taxis and PHVs, the proportion of vehicles aged under 5 years has decreased, and the proportion of vehicles aged between 5 and 10 years has increased. The proportion of vehicles aged 10 years and over has not changed much over the period 2020 to 2023.

Chart 13: Taxi and PHV fleet by age of vehicle, England, 2020 to 2023

The average age of a taxi in England as at 31 March 2023 was 7.4 years, whereas the average age of a PHV was 5.7 years. These figures were both lower than for cars, with DfT vehicle licensing statistics showing that as at 31 December 2022, the average age of cars in England was 9.3 years. This appears consistent with the higher mileage that most taxis and PHVs are likely to do, and also with the requirement to meet safety and emissions requirements, which are sometimes more stringent for taxis and PHVs than for private cars.

Fuel type - regional breakdown

In England outside of London, 86% of taxis were petrol or diesel as of 31 March 2023. In London the equivalent figure was lower at 55%. This is mainly because London has a relatively large proportion of range extended electric taxis (a sub-type of hybrid vehicle), which comprise 43% of London’s taxis, whereas this fuel type is not common outside of London. The proportion of battery electric taxis in London (1.2%) was roughly double that in England outside of London (0.6%). The differences between London and the rest of England are likely to reflect that since January 2018, all new taxis in London were required to be zero emission capable under Transport for London licensing requirements.

In addition to differences between London and the rest of England, there were also some other regional differences in the fuel type of taxis. For example, in England outside of London, the proportion of the fleet that was petrol or diesel varied between 94% in the North East and 80% in the East Midlands.

The proportion of PHVs that were petrol or diesel was lower in London (34%) than England outside of London (66%). London had a correspondingly higher proportion of hybrid electric PHVs (52% compared to 32% in the rest of England).

The North East had a particularly high proportion of petrol or diesel PHVs at 87%, whereas in other regions such as Yorkshire and the Humber (45%), this figure was much lower. Regions with a lower proportion of diesel PHVs tended to have more hybrid electric ones.

Chart 14 is a line chart that compares how the proportions of different fuel types of taxis and PHVs have changed over time in London with those proportions in England outside of London.

Taxis

The proportion of battery electric taxis has increased over the period from 2020 to 2023 in both London and England outside of London. However, the rate of increase has been noticeably faster in London (from 0.1% in 2020 to 1.2% in 2023) than in England outside of London (from 0.2% in 2020 to 0.6% in 2023).

Over the period from 2020 to 2023, the proportion of hybrid taxis has roughly doubled in both London (from 20% in 2020 to 43% in 2023) and in England outside of London (from 6.2% in 2020 to 13% in 2023).

In both locations, there has been a gradual decline in the proportion of petrol and diesel taxis, corresponding with the increase in hybrid taxis over the period 2020 to 2023. The impact of battery electric vehicles on this trend is relatively modest.

PHVs

The proportion of battery electric PHVs has increased ten-fold over the period 2020 to 2023 in London (from 1.3% to 14%), and has tripled over the same period in England outside of London (from 0.3% to 0.9%).

The proportion of hybrid PHVs decreased slightly over the period 2020 to 2023 in London (from 55% in 2020 to 52% in 2023, after peaking at 57% in 2021), but has doubled over the same period in England outside of London (from 16% to 32%).

In both locations, there has been a gradual decline in the proportion of petrol and diesel PHVs over the period 2020 to 2023. In England outside of London, this is primarily driven by increases in hybrid PHVs. However, in London, this trend is primarily driven by increases in battery electric PHVs.

Chart 14: Taxi and PHV fleet by fuel type, London and England outside of London, 2020 to 2023

Age composition - regional breakdown

Chart 15 is a line chart that compares how the age compositions of the taxi and PHV fleets have changed over time in London with how those age compositions have changed in England outside of London.

Taxis

The age of the taxi fleet has decreased over the period from 2020 to 2023 in London, but has increased in England outside of London.

In London, the proportion of the taxi fleet aged 10 years and over decreased from 33% in 2020 to 24% in 2023. In England outside of London, the proportion of the taxi fleet aged 10 years and over increased from 29% in 2020 to 33% in 2023.

PHVs

The age of the PHV fleet has increased over the period from 2020 to 2023 in London. There was insufficient evidence of a change in age composition over this period in England outside of London, due to the increase in the proportion of vehicles of unknown age (from 2.2% in 2020 to 7.0% in 2023).

In London, the proportion of the PHV fleet aged 10 years and over showed little change between 2020 and 2023. However, the proportion of the PHV fleet between 5 and 10 years increased in London from 38% in 2020 to 51% in 2023, corresponding with a decrease in the proportion aged under 5 years (from 46% in 2020 to 32% in 2023).

Chart 15: Taxi and PHV fleet by age of vehicle, London and England outside of London, 2020 to 2023

There were some noticeable differences in the age of the taxi and PHV fleet by region as at 31 March 2023. The average age of a taxi varied from 6.1 years in London to 9.4 years in the North West and the West Midlands. The average age of a PHV varied from 4.6 years in London to 7.4 years in the North West.

Fuel type and age of vehicle combined TAXI0114

When combining fuel type and age of vehicle, for both taxis and PHVs it is apparent that petrol and diesel vehicles tend to be older on average than other fuel types. This reflects the fact that some of the other fuel types are newer technologies.

As at 31 March 2023, in England:

• the average age of petrol and diesel taxis was 8.4 years
• the average age of battery electric taxis was 2.2 years
• the average age of petrol and diesel PHVs was 6.7 years
• the average age of battery electric PHVs was 1.6 years

Vehicle model

What is meant by vehicle model

Vehicle models presented here use the generic model from the DfT vehicle licensing statistics, which are groupings of specific models to help compare models on the road.

The most common models of taxi as at 31 March 2023 were the:

• London Taxis International TX4 (17%)
• London Electric Vehicle Company TX (13%)
• Mercedes Vito (10%)
• Skoda Octavia (5%)

The most common PHV models were the:

• Toyota Prius (21%)
• Toyota Auris (7%)
• Mercedes E class (6%)
• Skoda Octavia (5%)

The most common models of both taxis and PHVs are unchanged from 31 March 2022. The proportions have changed slightly however, with the most notable change being a 3 percentage point increase for the London Electric Vehicle Company TX.

Background information

Uses and users of these statistics

These statistics are used within DfT to inform the development and monitoring of policy relating to taxis and PHVs (for example monitoring how many taxis and PHVs are wheelchair accessible) and for ministerial briefing or to answer public enquires.

These statistics will also be used to monitor the implementation of the Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards issued in July 2020.

Outside DfT, the statistics are of interest to various industry bodies and provide information for licensing authorities to compare themselves with other areas.

Strengths and weaknesses of the data

The data collected will cover PHV operators and enlisted drivers who use app-based technology, such as Uber. However, we are not able to disaggregate which drivers are using these apps in the figures presented. More information can be found in the Background Quality Report.

National Statistics Status

The continued designation of these statistics as National Statistics was confrmed in February 2013. National Statistics are produced to high professional standards set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure they meet customer needs. We also publish details of ministers and officials who receive pre-release access to these statistics up to 24 hours before release.

Next release

The next taxi and private hire vehicle statistics release is due to be published in summer 2024.

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Contact details

Taxi statistics

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