Union argues against congestion fee for minicab drivers
CHARGING minicabs a fee to drive in central London when black cabs are exempt discriminates against vulnerable workers and passengers, a court has heard, writes Jessie Mathewson.
London’s black cabs do not pay the Congestion Charge – a £15 daily fee that aims to reduce traffic in central London – but Uber, Addison Lee and other private hire drivers do.
Minicabs were previously also exempt – but London mayor Sadiq Khan scrapped the policy last year.
However, that decision was last week challenged in a Court of Appeal case brought by a gig economy workers’ union.
While 88 per cent of black cab drivers are white, 94 per cent of minicab drivers are of black, Asian or ethnic minority (BAME) heritage.
This means the new policy indirectly discriminates against BAME workers, according to the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB).
It also impacts female drivers, who are more likely to work part time, and older or disabled passengers who have reduced travel options, the court heard.
Ben Collins, the IWGB lawyer, said minicab drivers were “working very long hours to make ends meet and provide for their families” and “every penny counts”.
Some 71 per cent of minicab drivers live in the most deprived parts of London, and they make on average £23,000 a year or less, he told the court. And forcing them to pay the charge could see them lose income, or force them to work longer hours.
But City Hall said the number of private hire vehicles in the city centre has risen sharply, and discouraging access was necessary to drive down traffic.
Around a third of private hire vehicles, some 38,000, carry out trips in the charge zone, alongside London’s 21,000 black cabs – with 18,000 minicabs entering each day.
Marie Demetriou, for the mayor and Transport for London (TfL), said the increase has been “beyond what was imagined” when the Congestion Charge was introduced in 2003 – but the number of black cabs has remained “pretty static”.
Removing the exemption for minicabs was not a tactic “plucked from the air” but “the mechanism for reducing congestion”, she argued.
She said raising the charge is a legitimate way to reduce traffic because people are currently avoiding public transport amid coronavirus fears. The Congestion Charge rose 30 per cent on June 22 from £11.50 to £15 a day. (Local Democracy Reporting Service)