Taxi Driver Online

This is the Hackney Gazette (absolutely no pun intended there), and probably in quite a few other sources.

But one likely to get the London black cab drivers exercised, because this is presumably mainly about PHDs, but it's not clear. The figures are for both codes combined, by the looks of it, but presumably most of this is attributable to minicabs.

Can't get my head round some of the numbers, though, and the detail is all very confusing. And the graphs a tad daft, in view of the tiny numbers involved.

And I wouldn't be surprised if the overall trend is due to recording or reporting differences, as opposed to what's actually happening in reality.

And, like the graph thing, because some of the numbers are tiny in comparison to total driver numbers, any statistical variations between years doesn't necessarily mean anything much at all in terms of overall trends.

And don't want to sound too cynical about this kind of thing, but there's a distinct whiff of ambulance-chasing about the source here


Sexual offences by cab drivers triple in three years

https://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/news/2 ... ree-years/

Shocking new data shows that reported sexual offences by taxi drivers in London have more than tripled in three years.

Figures revealed by a Freedom of Information request submitted by Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice show that Metropolitan Police recorded 70 arrests resulting in charges against taxi or minicab drivers between January 2023 and December 2025 in Greater London.

Of those, 17 offences were committed against passengers during journeys.

The offences recorded by the Met included sexual assault, rape, and assault by penetration, with numbers rising sharply over the three-year period.

In 2023, there were 10 total offences. This jumped to 26 in 2024 and 34 in 2025.

Ellie Lamey, a Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority specialist at Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice, said: "These disclosures highlight a deeply concerning breach of public trust. Passengers place their physical safety entirely in the hands of drivers within an isolated, enclosed environment.

"To see licensed professionals exploiting this dynamic is unacceptable. The trauma of an assault in a taxi can be devastating, yet many survivors feel too intimidated or frightened to report the abuse.

"This data must be a wake-up call for licensing boards. We need universally stringent vetting and robust safeguarding measures so passengers can travel without fear, and perpetrators face absolute accountability."


Image: Billion Media/News Shopper

Passenger-related offences rose from zero in 2023 to six in 2024, then nearly doubled to 11 in 2025.

Of the 70 offences, 52 were committed while the driver was off duty, including 31 rapes and three attempted rapes.

The Met also recorded 19 offences against children. This included two rapes of girls aged 13 to 15, both in 2024.

Other off-duty offences from 2025 included sexual communication with a child, attempted rape, and sharing of intimate images intended to cause distress or humiliation.


Image: Billion Media/News Shopper

Several cases involved gross indecency with a child, indecent assault on a girl under 14, and assaulting a boy under 13 by touching.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: "The Met is committed to tackling sexual violence and abuse across the city. We are delivering major improvements in how we support victims of sexual offences throughout active investigations, providing more than 23,000 officers and staff with bespoke training and rolling out enhanced victim services to increase the quality of our communications.

"Providing better support for victims, while expanding specialist teams to relentlessly pursue the highest risk predatory men, has seen stronger outcomes for victims and survivors, with the Met tripling charges for rape and serious sexual offences. As part of our work under Operation Soteria, we are working tirelessly to build confidence and encourage victim survivors to come forward and report sexual offending to us.

"We will continue to work closely with TfL (Transport for London), BTP (British Transport Police) and local partners, recognising that lasting safety on all aspects of the capital’s transport network requires a coordinated, city-wide response."

The data has raised fresh questions about the adequacy of current taxi licensing and vetting procedures.

Ms Lamey said: "What these figures show is a pattern that cannot be ignored. When a passenger enters a vehicle, they are in a position of extreme vulnerability.


Image: Billion Media/News Shopper

"These statistics suggest that for dozens of people in London, that trust was met with life-changing trauma."

Licensing standards for taxi and private hire drivers currently vary between local authorities, leading to calls for a single, rigorous national approach.

Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice provides expert legal support and advice for those affected by sexual abuse anyone seeking for information or support should visit https://www.sexualabusecompensationadvice.org.uk/

this to me looks like an informercial designed to drive clients into the clutches of no win no fee solicitors.

The stats look worrying but how authentic are they ?

perhaps the great pontificator mbe should put some of his energy into investigating this

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

This headline in one of the related titles is perhaps more palatable to the London HCDs.

(On the other hand, serious media sources usually use 'three' for numbers of that size, as opposed to '3' here. So they've changed the headline to be more accurate in one respect, but not so professional in another way...)

Otherwise, I'm assuming it's the same piece, but didn't look at it.

But check out the byline below both pieces


Sexual offences by taxi and cab drivers triple in 3 years

By Robyn Bennett
AI Assisted Reporter

Similar to the article from a few weeks back.

My reply to the one above is the same.

So 17 charges, not convictions, were laid against drivers sexually abusing customers. That's 6 a year.

There are 104,000 PH and 15,000 black cab drivers in London.

So is it really that much of a story, or scare-story, that 0.00005% of the London licensed trade have been charged with some sexual offence, in the last three years?

In 2024/5 the CPS (England and Wales) charged 149,000 sexual offence suspects. The adult population in E&W is about 48,000,000. This equates to 0.003.

Thus, London PH and black cab drivers are, IMO, 60 times safer than the alternative.

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IDFIMH

Indeed, Sussex, I meant to look back to see if it was the same stats rehashed, basically, but never got round to it. But, as you say, in the grand scheme of things the figures maybe aren't that huge.

On the other hand, a lot of this kind of thing no doubt goes unreported

And yes, Edders, definitely a sniff of infomercial about it (your favourite word for this kind of thing...), or advertorial (my favourite word for this kind of thing...)