Nickie Aiken, Member of Parliament for the Cities of London & Westminster, welcomed progress on our Pedicabs (London) Bill with its completion of the Report Stage in the House of Lords.
Once passed, the Bill will put into law the pedicabs licensing scheme which Nickie has long campaigned for. The scheme will end the blaring music which can go on until the very early hours of the morning, stop the pavements from being blocked by riders who park there, and prevent another story of a tourist or visitor being charged hundreds of pounds for a journey that lasts just a few minutes.
Under the Bill, Transport for London will administer the licensing scheme similarly to how they administer licenses for black cabs and private hire vehicles. The licensing scheme will also require drivers and their vehicles to undertake proper checks to confirm they are fit and proper to take passengers.
Nickie explained,
"I've just been in the House of Lords where I watched the Report Stage of the Pedicabs Bill. There was plenty of debate, but it went through without a hitch and now it makes its way through to the House of Commons.
"So we're over the first hurdle, now into the final stages, and I hope to be speaking in the debate in the next couple of weeks. And we are a step closer to pedicab regulation becoming law."
