Advancing urban mobility: The taxi revolution

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Renowned for their iconic taxis, the city of London is now swimming with a new fleet of electric black cabs. The London Taxi Company (since 1948) has rebranded as the London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) in efforts to lower air pollution in the city. The trend is only just beginning, as a new Transport for London (TfL) rule states that all new black cabs will have to be zero-emissions as of 1 January 2018.

London is one of many worldwide cities in which the use of cabs or taxis is part of the everyday mobility culture. As the public transport sector continues to develop and partner with a diverse range of mobility services in efforts to provide customers with seamless door-to-door journeys, it seems only logical that the taxi become fully integrated into this evolving urban transport ecosystem.

Taxis are an essential element of the integrated mobility system and will contribute to reducing car traffic in the city.– UITP Secretary General-Elect, Mohamed Mezghani

Aside from in London, taxis are used frequently for first and last mile journeys, for those living outside of the city centre, during periods when traditional public transport modes are not running, and to provide access to those who cannot reach the nearest train or bus station by bike or on foot. In this way, taxis could be seen as the perfect complement to public transport systems and another alternative solution to private car ownership. Therefore, UITP has taken the lead on helping this important element of urban mobility integrate into the public transport sector.

The 4th edition of the UITP International Taxi Seminar hosted in London, United Kingdom, by Urban Transport Group and TfL is taking place now from 7-8 December to tackle these very issues—the integration of taxis into public transport networks of cities all over the world. The Seminar has gathered more than 110 participants from 23 different countries. A huge success!

Furthermore, UITP anticipates the publication of its Taxi Benchmarking Study to be released in early 2018. This Study provides 25 indicators about regulation and operation of taxis in more than 30 cities. It will be the third edition after earlier editions in 2013 and 2015.

Our next activities regarding taxis will be a UITP Training Programme on Taxi Managers from 11-13 March 2018 in Dubai/Ajman and a UITP Taxi Platform Meeting & Electric Taxis Study Tour in Shenzhen, China from 10-11 May 2018.