Fresh statistics reveal a dramatic surge in recorded sexual crimes involving taxi and private hire vehicle operators across the capital over a three-year span.
Information obtained through a Freedom of Information inquiry by Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice indicates the Metropolitan Police logged 70 detentions leading to charges against taxi or private hire drivers within Greater London from January 2023 through December 2025.
Seventeen of these incidents occurred while victims were traveling as passengers.
The categories documented by the Met encompassed sexual assault, rape, and penetration offences, with figures climbing steeply throughout the period.
Ten such incidents were documented in 2023, escalating to 26 the following year and reaching 34 by 2025.
Ellie Lamey, who works as a specialist in criminal injuries compensation at Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice, commented that the figures exposed a grave violation of public confidence. Those using taxis place their physical security wholly in drivers’ control within a confined, private setting.
Witnessing qualified licence holders taking advantage of this arrangement proved indefensible. The psychological damage arising from an assault occurring inside a taxi could prove catastrophic, yet numerous survivors remained too frightened or coerced into silence about the violations.
These findings should prompt licensing authorities to take decisive action. Stricter background checks and comprehensive protection protocols were essential to ensure passengers could travel securely while those responsible faced full consequences for their actions.
Passenger-specific offences climbed from none in 2023 to six in 2024, before rising to eleven the subsequent year.
Fifty-two of the seventy recorded incidents took place during periods when drivers were not working, encompassing thirty-one rapes and three attempted rapes.
Nineteen of the total offences targeted minors. This encompassed two rapes of teenage girls between thirteen and fifteen, both occurring in 2024.
Other off-duty incidents recorded for 2025 included sending sexual messages to a minor, attempted rape, and distributing private images designed to cause humiliation.
Additional cases involved lewd behaviour with children, inappropriate touching of girls below fourteen, and physical contact with boys under thirteen.
A representative for the Metropolitan Police stated that tackling sexual violence and abuse throughout the capital remained a key commitment. Significant upgrades to victim support during ongoing investigations had been introduced, with over twenty-three thousand officers and staff completing specialised instruction and enhanced services rolled out to improve how communications with victims were handled.
Delivering improved assistance for those affected while expanding specialist units dedicated to pursuing dangerous individuals had produced better results for survivors, with charges for rape and serious sexual offences increasing threefold. Through Operation Soteria, efforts continued to build trust and encourage those who had experienced sexual offences to report them.
Ongoing collaboration with Transport for London, the British Transport Police and local agencies would persist, acknowledging that sustainable safety across all transport networks in the capital demanded a unified metropolitan response.
The figures have prompted renewed scrutiny regarding whether existing licensing and screening practices for taxi and private hire operators meet required standards.
Ms Lamey observed that what these numbers demonstrated was a pattern demanding attention. When someone boarded a vehicle, they occupied a position of considerable exposure.
The evidence indicated that for numerous Londoners, this reliance on driver professionalism resulted in life-altering damage.