27 October 2017

London businesses support Mayor on English-speaking taxi drivers

An overwhelming majority of London businesses have said that they support Mayor Sadiq Khan’s policy of requiring all London taxi drivers to take an English test.

A ComRes poll of more than 500 businesses, commissioned by London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) found 83% of respondent supported the policy.

The findings come as competition between the taxi and private hire industry continues within the capital and the number of private hire vehicles on London’s roads has increased by over 75% over the previous five years.

This has raised issues on the regulation of the industry and questions on how to ensure a consistent quality of service and fair competition across the sector.

Chief Executive of London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Colin Stanbridge said: “Over the years, there have been fundamental changes in the way Londoners use the transport network.

“Nowhere is such a shift more evident than the taxi and private hire industry which has changed considerably since technology impacted the way services can be bought and supplied.

“The general expectation for London business people using a private hire vehicle is to get from A to B in a safe and timely manner at a reasonable cost.

“A fundamental part of this that is overwhelmingly backed by businesses is the view that private hire drivers should be able to speak a reasonable amount of English.”

ENDS

Media Contact
Katharine Barney
T: (0)20 7203 1897
M: (0)7827 241528
E: Kbarney@londonchamber.co.uk

NOTES TO EDITOR:

1. Colin Stanbridge is available for further comment and interview.

2. ComRes interviewed 569 London business leaders between 8 August and 5 September 2017. All data was weighted to be representative of all London businesses by company size and broad industry sector.

3. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council. Full data tables are available at www.comresglobal.com