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After the Civil War , in 1654 Oliver Cromwell set up the Fellowship of Master Hackney Carriages by Act of Parliament, and taxi driving became a profession. This makes the licensed taxi trade the oldest regulated public transport system in the world.
The Proclaimers - The London Palladium - Wed • 28 Oct 2026 • 19:30.
ticketmaster.co.uk/the-procl…
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Replying to @AscottsGroup
@AscottsGroup
Great service
Friendly staff
And a great read while waiting.
Trev retweeted
Update on John Lewis Taxi Rank:
Following the remarking and reduction in rank space we were made aware of yesterday after being assured no loss in space, the following should have been put in place today:
Bagging the taxi sign on the old rank and directional signage being put in place to direct passengers to the new temp rank both inside the John Lewis exit and clearing directing passengers to the temp rank location so they are not standing at the bus stop trying to hail a cab when cabs are servicing the new rank.
What additional rank space can be added in the vicinity which has been discussed, needs to be finalised with the cast of thousands involved and naturally subject to agreement.
When we get this information we will update drivers.
A request for the rank to be kept clear so taxis can service it as a working rank as when the email was fired off it was not usable and needed to be cleared of PHV using it to drop off and vans servicing The Elephant building parking on it.
Buses will soon begin to use our old rank as the bus stop so please can you now use the marked out temp taxi rank which is in front of the crossing by the John Lewis click and collect entrance and stop using the newly marked out bus stop as a taxi rank or a feeder to the taxi rank.
Thank you for your patience with this.
Temporary Changes to John Lewis/Henrietta Place Taxi Rank Arrangements:
The following message was shared in work groups this morning following the chaos of yesterday:
We would like to make you aware of a temporary change to the taxi rank serving John Lewis on Henrietta Place, which is required as part of the measures to make Oxford Street traffic-free from 26 October 2026.
As part of these changes, TfL will be routing westbound bus services (98, 139, 390, N98 and N207) via Henrietta Place and Cavendish Square (South). The permanent bus stop for these services is planned to be located behind the Elephant building, which is currently undergoing renovation.
TfL had planned to install this bus stop when the developer moved its hoardings back this autumn, however the works have since been extended and the hoardings now occupy the planned bus stop location.
To maintain access to Oxford Street for bus customers, we have installed a temporary bus stop and bus cage in place of the existing taxi rank. The taxi rank has been relocated immediately west of the pedestrian crossing and temporary signage will be installed to indicate the head of the rank. We are making drivers aware of this change but we would be grateful if you could also help share this information.
The temporary bus stop is expected to be in place for up to six months. Please be assured that we will return the taxi rank to its previous location at the earliest opportunity.
We apologise for any inconvenience or confusion this temporary arrangement may cause and have sought to keep the relocated rank as close as possible to its permanent location.
Kind regards
Stakeholder Relations Team
Licensing & Regulation
Trev retweeted
Temporary Changes to John Lewis/Henrietta Place Taxi Rank Arrangements:
The following message was shared in work groups this morning following the chaos of yesterday:
We would like to make you aware of a temporary change to the taxi rank serving John Lewis on Henrietta Place, which is required as part of the measures to make Oxford Street traffic-free from 26 October 2026.
As part of these changes, TfL will be routing westbound bus services (98, 139, 390, N98 and N207) via Henrietta Place and Cavendish Square (South). The permanent bus stop for these services is planned to be located behind the Elephant building, which is currently undergoing renovation.
TfL had planned to install this bus stop when the developer moved its hoardings back this autumn, however the works have since been extended and the hoardings now occupy the planned bus stop location.
To maintain access to Oxford Street for bus customers, we have installed a temporary bus stop and bus cage in place of the existing taxi rank. The taxi rank has been relocated immediately west of the pedestrian crossing and temporary signage will be installed to indicate the head of the rank. We are making drivers aware of this change but we would be grateful if you could also help share this information.
The temporary bus stop is expected to be in place for up to six months. Please be assured that we will return the taxi rank to its previous location at the earliest opportunity.
We apologise for any inconvenience or confusion this temporary arrangement may cause and have sought to keep the relocated rank as close as possible to its permanent location.
Kind regards
Stakeholder Relations Team
Licensing & Regulation
Trev retweeted
Oxford Street Information for Taxi Drivers:
From Monday 26 October, Oxford Street will be traffic-free between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street. Mobility scooters and emergency vehicles will have access to the street at any time.
Servicing vehicles undertaking freight and loading will have access to the traffic-free sections between midnight and 07:00.
Works are ongoing to prepare Oxford Street to be traffic-free in the Oxford Street, Regent Street, Bond Street and Great Portland Street areas.
Vehicles can now turn right from Orchard Street into Wigmore Street.
There is now no access to Oxford Street and Gilbert Street from James Street. Vehicles entering James Street can leave via Barrett Street.
Gilbert Street is now two-way between Brook Street and Oxford Street. There is no access from Gilbert Street to Oxford Street.
There will be no access to Oxford Street from Binney Street from 20:00 on Sunday 25 October.
There is a temporary change to the Henrietta Place John Lewis rank, which has been moved immediately west of the traffic signals and existing rank to accommodate a bus stop. This is temporary and tied to development works nearby. The rank will be reverted at the earliest opportunity.
Additional bits not covered in the above weekly TPH update:
Some drivers still think there is no access to Oxford Street from TCR to Marble Arch from next week. The part that goes traffic free is from Great Portland Street to Orchard Street.
You can still continue to use Oxford Street in both directions from New Oxford Street to Great Portland Street and then from Orchard Street to Marble Arch.
You can continue to use Park Street and go forward and turn right onto Oxford Street where you can go up to Orchard Street before being forced north. To get east from there you can now turn right into Wigmore Street.
You can still go southbound into North Audley Street from Orchard Street and turn right from Orchard Street to use Oxford Street westbound.
The reversal of Park Street and North Audley Street referenced on the consultation maps is likely to happen in phase 2/3 and requires the permission of Westminster as these are their roads. Both of these streets retain their existing one way direction.
Not all drivers engage on social media so between us on the London Cab Ranks Committee we are trying to get as much information out to our members via email, X, telegram and what’s app groups until TfL send us the revised maps we have been told are being prepared.
There are a number of outstanding issues to be clarified which we hope will be resolved at our taxi access meeting tomorrow and some errors on the Oxford Street info page on the TfL website remain.
We have asked for an updated taxi rank map, so our drivers and more importantly our passengers know where to find the nearest rank especially those that need assistance or have limited mobility.
As has been explained to TfL we provide a service which does not rely on being glued to a sat nav and a map is needed to relearn the access and turns we now need to use after a 50 year plus taxi exemption is removed from part of the road.
We would suggest if your passenger is going to Oxford Street when the changes go live on 26 October please ask them which shop they are trying to get to so you can use the nearest available cross street.
This is a significant change to our working environment. Our passengers expect us to take a certain route and cut out the traffic.
We will now need to work within the roads available to us. We are aware we are also compelled to take a hiring within certain parameters so this means we still need to get our passengers to their destination as close to the traffic free part of Oxford Street with the roads that remain available to us.
If passengers are unhappy with the longer journey or increase in fare politely make them aware of what the Oxford Street Development Corporation have said in their email comms today and ask them to share their feedback via email:
“this first phase of changes to the public space has been designed to be temporary, so we can gather real-time feedback on how people use the space. This insight will then help shape the design of the permanent improvements. If you have any immediate questions or feedback on the changes, you can contact us using info@oxfordstreet.org.uk”
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Hopefully the emergency services don’t need to use this Road
This was this morning
Rennie Street
@lb_Southwark
@LdnAmbulence
@Londonfire
@metpolice
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"The Transport Committee just published the Government response on taxi reform. Ruth Cadbury MP is calling out out-of-area cross-border flooding. The door is open for a Draft Bill. If you don't fight the good fight, you've already lost. Get involved: committees.parliament.uk/pub…
The Gov consultation is our chance to protect the 2 tier system. PH is a private hiring it was never licensed toP4H in the immediate market. TfL's watchful blindness has allowed apps to blur the lines by stealth. This could be an opportunity to put everything
back in its box!
“ I was always taught that as working men and women, all we have to sell is our labour. It's only right that we get the highest reward for that labour. Housing , food, clothing aren't free. If you work for a living, you deserve a return that actually covers the cost of living.”
Apathy is the biggest threat to our trade. When only a tiny fraction of drivers reply to the TfL consultation, we lose our collective voice. This is our business and our income on the line. Take 5 minutes to fill it in today: haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/taxi-…












