Using the most recent Government statistics available, we have extracted some of the key facts around licensed taxi and private hire vehicles in the England & Wales, which we believe will be of interest to those within the taxi industry.
Top 10 Licensing Authorities with the most taxis
(last updated on 25th September 2019, showing data as 31st March 2019).
| West Midlands | 21,309 |
| Greater Manchester | 14,439 |
| West Yorkshire | 13,137 |
| Merseyside | 12,759 |
| Essex | 6,537 |
| Tyne and Wear | 6,313 |
| South Yorkshire | 4,762 |
| Surrey | 4,434 |
| Lancashire | 4,270 |
| Hampshire | 4,187 |
Taxi Driver Demographics
- There is a staggering difference between the amount of men and women operating taxis, with just 2% of licensed drivers being women.
- 83% of taxi drivers are self-employed
- 40% of all taxi drivers are over the age of 50 with the average age of all licensed drivers being 47.
Taxi Passenger Information
In 2018 the average person in England made 10 trips by taxi or private hire vehicle, travelling 62 miles. This is actually an increase on 2017 which reported an average of 9 trips per person travelling 55 miles.
Interestingly, nearly half of all journeys made (47%) were for reasons of leisure, with business and commuting making up 30% of journeys. The remaining 23% consists of trips for shopping, education and trips classed as other.
Women take 11 trips per year on average, with men taking 10. When looking at the 70+ age group, there is a big shift with women in this demographic taking 14 trips per year compared to men of the same group taking 7 per year. Among this data there is also an interesting spike in the amount of taxi trips taken by 20-29 year olds (average of 20 per year), being roughly double the amount of trips taken by 17-20 year olds and also 30-39 year olds.
Satisfaction of Passengers
Overall passenger satisfaction in 2018 was 66% in England. From the looking at the data it appears that cost is the biggest cause for dissatisfaction with just 52% of passengers satisfied with the cost of their journeys. However, Passenger satisfaction with
reliability was 70% and Passenger satisfaction with availability was 72%.
Taxi Operator Turnover By Region
| Analysis showing the count and turnover (£000`s) of VAT and/or PAYE based enterprises in UK SIC 2007 Class (49.32 – Taxi operation) by Region. |
| 2018 | |||
| Count | Turnover (£’000s) | % Change vs 2017 | |
| United Kingdom | 7,800 | 2,393,215 | -1% |
| England | 6,700 | 2,071,669 | 0% |
| North East | 250 | 88,499 | -2% |
| North West | 645 | 206,477 | -2% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 405 | 119,670 | 0% |
| East Midlands | 435 | 115,504 | -2% |
| West Midlands | 440 | 131,074 | -2% |
| East | 790 | 181,055 | 3% |
| London | 2,055 | 805,194 | 1% |
| South East | 1,150 | 292,079 | -1% |
| South West | 530 | 132,117 | -3% |
| Wales | 400 | 101,089 | 1% |
| Scotland | 550 | 169,820 | -6% |
| Northern Ireland | 150 | 50,637 | -7% |
Insurance For Taxi Firms & Drivers of Taxi or Private Hire Vehicles
Quote Goat helps taxi and private hire firms and drivers compare taxi insurance quotes to find the right over at the right price. Whether you are looking for an individual policy or for a taxi fleet insurance policy, we can help.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, seen here.