Transport for London (TfL) has launched a consultation on stricter licensing rules for ride-hailing services, such as Uber. TfL is considering requiring all newly licensed vehicles to be fully electric from 2028. Wheelchair-accessible vehicles would have a transition period until July 2030.
Under proposals that now open to public consultation, only fully battery-electric vehicles would be eligible for new private hire vehicle licences starting in 2028.
The proposed regulation would apply to vehicles dispatched via ride-hailing apps such as Bolt, Lyft and Uber, as well as traditional minicabs, but not to separately regulated taxis. Petrol, diesel, mild hybrid, full hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles would be excluded from new PHV licences. For wheelchair-accessible vehicles, the requirement would take effect from July 2030. The consultation runs until 2 December 2026.
TfL justifies the initiative by citing the need to reduce air pollution and CO₂ emissions from road traffic. According to the authority’s forecasts, nitrogen oxide emissions from the PHV fleet could decrease by nine per cent and CO₂ emissions by 35 per cent within the first ten years. Over an 18-year period, reductions of up to 97 per cent could be achieved for both types of emissions. However, these are only projections.
The city’s private hire fleet has already achieved a significant level of electrification. 5 per cent of the 94,661 licensed PHVs in London were fully battery-electric vehicles. 2 per cent were plug-in hybrids. This means that over 70 per cent of the fleet was operating with at least conditional zero emissions.
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