Key Takeaways

• England had 342,300 licensed taxis and PHVs combined as of April 2026, up 9% year-on-year and 85% higher than 2005.
• Licensed taxis fell to 52,300, down 7% on 2024, while licensed PHVs rose to 290,000, up 13%.
• Total driver licences reached 417,300, up 9%, driven almost entirely by growth in PHV-only licences (296,800, +13%), while taxi-only licences fell 11% to 30,400.
• London bucked the national trend: its total driver licence count fell 2% to 120,900, even as PHV numbers grew sharply outside the capital.
• Wheelchair-accessible taxi numbers fell 8% to 28,000, while wheelchair-accessible PHVs rose 15% to 6,400, taxis still provide the majority of accessible licensed vehicles overall.

These UK taxi statistics 2026 figures cover private hire vehicle statistics, PHV driver numbers, and the ongoing licensed taxi decline that defines taxi industry trends UK-wide, drawn from the Department for Transport's own taxi and PHV data.

The Headline Numbers for 2026

The Department for Transport's annual release shows a UK taxi industry continuing a shift that's been building since around 2015: traditional taxis in long-term decline, private hire vehicles expanding fast enough to more than offset it.

As at 1 April 2026, England had:

• 52,300 licensed taxis, down 7% from 2024
• 290,000 licensed PHVs, up 13% from 2024
• 417,300 total taxi and PHV driver licences, up 9% from 2024
• 34,500 wheelchair-accessible licensed taxis and PHVs, down 4% from 2024
• 342,300 total licensed taxis and PHVs, up 9% from 2024 and 85% higher than 2005

Taxis vs Private Hire: A Widening Gap

The taxi and PHV split tells the real story of where the market is heading. Taxi-only driver licences fell 11% to 30,400, while PHV-only licences rose 13% to 296,800. Dual taxi and PHV licences, drivers holding both, grew 9% to 84,700.

On the vehicle side, the licensed taxi fleet dropped at a similar rate whether inside or outside London: London's taxi fleet fell 7% to 13,700, while the rest of England's fell to 38,600. PHV operator licences, the companies rather than individual drivers, grew 17% nationally to 18,900, with London's operator count up 6% to roughly 1,800.

London Moves Against the National Trend

While PHV numbers grew sharply nationally, London's total driver licence count actually fell 2% to 120,900, a genuine outlier against the national 9% rise. This suggests London's taxi and PHV market, already the most saturated in the country, is behaving differently to the rest of England, where PHV growth outside the capital has been described by industry analysts as "rocketing" by around 20%.

Accessibility: A Mixed Picture

Wheelchair-accessible vehicle numbers moved in opposite directions across the two sectors. Wheelchair-accessible taxis fell 8% to 28,000, continuing a longer decline, while wheelchair-accessible PHVs grew 15% to 6,400. Even with that growth, taxis still account for the large majority of accessible licensed vehicles nationally, meaning the overall accessible fleet (34,500, down 4%) is shrinking even as PHVs pick up some of the slack.

What's Driving the Shift

A few structural factors explain the pattern in this year's data:

• App-based platforms continue reshaping demand. Uber, Bolt, and similar services operate almost exclusively through the PHV licensing route, a distinction explained in TfL's own guidance on taxi and private hire licensing, not the traditional taxi (hackney carriage) system, which explains much of the PHV growth.
• Traditional taxi licensing has stricter local requirements in many authorities, including vehicle age limits and accessibility standards, which can make taxi licensing less attractive to new drivers than PHV licensing.
• Driver flexibility favours PHV work. The rise in PHV-only licences, now nearly ten times the number of taxi-only licences, reflects a broader shift toward app-based, flexible driving work over traditional taxi ranks and street hailing.

What This Means for Passengers

For travellers, the practical effect of these trends shows up in availability and pricing. More licensed PHVs generally means more supply for booked journeys, but the corresponding decline in traditional taxis, particularly wheelchair-accessible ones, means street-hail availability is tightening in many areas outside London.

For anyone who values price certainty over street availability, a pre-booked airport transfer sidesteps the variability in this market entirely, since the fare is agreed before the driver leaves to collect you, regardless of local licensing trends or on-the-day demand.

An Heathrow or Gatwick transfer booked in advance isn't affected by the same supply pressures shaping the wider PHV and taxi market, nor are transfers to Luton, Stansted, Manchester, or Birmingham.

For a closer look at how this plays out in practice at specific airports, see our guides to the cheapest way to reach Heathrow and our existing breakdown of Heathrow's own 2026 performance statistics.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many taxis and private hire vehicles are licensed in England?

As of April 2026, there were 342,300 licensed taxis and PHVs combined, according to official DfT statistics, a 9% increase on 2024 and 85% higher than 2005.

Are taxi numbers really declining in the UK?

Yes. Licensed taxis fell 7% to 52,300 in the year to April 2026, continuing a longer-term decline that's been offset by strong growth in private hire vehicle numbers, which rose 13% to 290,000 over the same period.

Why has London's driver licence count fallen while the rest of England's has risen?

London's total driver licences fell 2% to 120,900, against a 9% national rise, suggesting the capital's taxi and PHV market is more saturated than the rest of the country, where PHV growth has been particularly sharp outside London.

Is wheelchair accessibility improving across the UK taxi and PHV fleet?

It's mixed. Wheelchair-accessible PHVs grew 15% to 6,400, but wheelchair-accessible taxis fell 8% to 28,000, meaning the total accessible fleet actually shrank 4% overall, since taxis still make up the majority of accessible vehicles.

Where can I find the official UK taxi and PHV statistics?

The Department for Transport publishes an annual statistical release covering licensed vehicles, driver numbers, operators, and accessibility data for England, based on submissions from local licensing authorities.