London’s taxi trade is bracing for a fresh supply crisis, with drivers and fleet operators reporting waits of up to nine months for new black cabs as the sole manufacturer scales back production.
The London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC), based in Coventry and owned by Chinese giant Geely, has cut output of its TX model amid a decline in the number of licensed taxi drivers working in the capital. Since 2020, driver numbers have fallen from around 20,400 to roughly 15,900, a drop LEVC has pointed to as a factor behind reduced demand.
But the trade argues the manufacturer’s “build-to-order” approach is now making a difficult situation worse, particularly as Transport for London’s net zero rules push older diesel cabs off the road and require replacements to be zero-emission capable.
Mick Walker, secretary of the London Cab Drivers Club, didn’t mince his words on the scale of the problem: “Everyone is starting to realise the trade is in serious trouble. There are drivers being put out of work now because they cannot actually get a vehicle.”
Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association, said the secondhand market remains relatively healthy for individual drivers looking to replace a cab. Fleet operators buying new, however, are bearing the brunt. Colts Cabs, London’s largest fleet with more than 1,000 vehicles, typically replaces 100 to 200 cabs a year — but was offered just 10 vehicles when it tried to order 30 in March.
The timing couldn’t be worse for the trade. Under TfL rules, black cabs must be retired after 12 years of service on air quality grounds, and the London Cab Drivers Club estimates around 1,300 vehicles will come off the road in the next 11 months alone. With LEVC remaining the only manufacturer building purpose-built London taxis — mainstream makers like Ford, Stellantis and Nissan have all steered clear of the market on cost grounds — there’s little immediate prospect of relief.
Geely acquired the former London Taxi Company in 2013 and has since ploughed roughly £500 million into a factory at Ansty Business Park near Coventry, betting on strong demand for the black cab both in London and other major cities worldwide. That global demand, industry sources say, has simply not materialised as hoped.
For drivers already stretched by rising costs, the vehicle shortage adds another layer of pressure to a trade that’s had more than its fair share of headwinds in recent years.
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