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Taxi or private hire companies in London

3,006 taxi or private hire companies have a registered office in London, and 1,023 of them were formed in 2025 or 2026. In their latest accounts, the typical one held £2,876 in cash and owed £5,709 at year end.

Companies House register, 1 September 2026, and accounts filed in the last twelve months. Compared with the official category “Taxi operation” (SIC 49320).

The numbers

Taxi or private hire companies in London compared with the same category across the UK. Typical figures are medians.
MeasureLondonUK
Registered companies3,00620,081
Formed in 2025 or 20261,023 (34%)31%
Being struck off or in liquidation383 (13%)11%
Typical cash at year end£2,876409 accounts£4,852
Typical amount owed at year end£5,7091,339 accounts£9,535
Typical number of employees11,391 accounts1

What this means if you’re starting one

Cash is tight in this trade

At year end the typical taxi or private hire company in London holds £2,876 in cash and owes £5,709; that cash figure is lower than 98% of UK industries.

Typical operators end the year holding less cash than they owe, so there is little slack if takings dip or a big bill lands early.

Most of these businesses are run by one or two people

The typical taxi or private hire company in London reports 1 employee; the top quarter has 2 or more (1,391 filings).

You are mostly up against owner-operators. Your own hours are likely to be your biggest cost, and the easiest one to undercount.

Most of your competition will be other newcomers

34% of the 3,006 taxi or private hire companies in London were formed in 2025–26, against 28% of all companies in London. Nationally, that share of new companies is higher than 89% of UK industries.

New rivals are arriving faster than in most trades, so your customers already have fresh options. Being new is not a difference on its own.

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What these figures can’t tell you

Companies are counted where their registered office is, which may be an accountant or a home address rather than a shop. Sole traders and partnerships are not on the register, and electronically filed accounts cover roughly 60–75% of accounts filed each year. The figures describe companies that exist; they cannot prove demand for your idea or predict whether it will work. How the figures are built.

Taxi or private hire in other places

Other businesses in London

All business benchmarks in London