Safe Speed Forums

Congestion charge dodgers register Bentleys as minicabs

Owners of upmarket sets of wheels have discovered a cunning ruse to avoid paying London's congestion charge - simply register the car as a minicab.

According to the Times, Transport for London (TfL) is "particularly suspicious" that a large number of exotic motors and two-seater sports car owners have coughed the £82 application fee and £27 for the annual minicab licence, thereby gaining exemption from Red Ken's £8 a day fee to enter the capital.

Among the luxury vehicles on the list of shame are "17 Bentley Continentals, which cost £117,500 new, three £300,000 Maybach 62s and eight two-seater Mercedes-Benz SLs". Others apparently plying their trade include an Aston Martin DB7, two Maserati Quattroportes and eight Rolls Royce Phantoms.

Some of these are evidently owned by cash-flush Londoners who live within the charging zone, keen to avoid stumping up from next October when owners of cars rated in band G for vehicle excise duty will lose their 90 per cent residents' discount and attract a £25-a-day fee.

To register your motor as a minicab, you just need to flash a valid MOT certificate, but TfL "does not check on the suitability of the vehicle or the likelihood that it would be used for private hire".

TfL was reportedly alerted to the outrage by Clean Green Cars, which preaches the "Gospel of Green". The website's Jay Nagley said: "The congestion charge is presented as an environmental measure, yet exceptions are being granted to some of the highest-polluting vehicles on the road.

"While we have no objection to exemption for minicabs in principle, it is absurd that a private hire vehicle with a V12 engine has to pay nothing, when a family doing the school run with a Renault Espace 2.0T Auto will be liable for the full £25. The logical move would be to stop exemptions for any minicabs that fall into band G. That way, no one would have an incentive to register their luxury car as a minicab."

Tfl will investigate the scam by "contacting the owners of the luxury cars and asking them for details of any taxi company that uses their vehicles". Cab firms must keep records of fare-paying journeys and TfL will "demand to see those records and compare them with its own data on vehicles in the charge zone".

A Tfl spokeswoman declared: "We are taking this very seriously. We call for anybody who has evidence to get in touch with us." ®

Is it illegal?

I would not have thought there was anything illegal about registering a car as a minicab, provided one did not drive it for hire or reward without a valid driver's badge. They would probably find they couldn't smoke in them anymore though Round my way, minicabs need a council roadworthiness test in addition to the normal MoT, which might weed out the insincere.

I genuinely don't believe this is illegal, and if the cost of registering as a minicab was closer to that of the charge then no fuss would be being made at all!

What about the insurance though ?
"Not for use for hire or reward"

I've often wondered why cabs are considered "public" transport.

Why is it "greener" or "congestion friendly" to take a cab, which drives around all day looking for fares, rather than a private car? Wasn't the point of the CC to force people onto buses/trains?

On the same vein, why are cabs allowed to use bus lanes?

What about the insurance though ?
"Not for use for hire or reward"

Yes, but if they don't ply for hire then there's no hire or reward...

In Southampton even if it is a traditional black cab you have to stick HUGE stickers on saying TAXI on the doors.
Private hire must have BIG banner "NO BOOKING,NO RIDE" on the rear doors. You wouldnt want to do that to your bentley, would you?

However, The Dorchester might have a contract firm with a few nice cars for its customers, So mybe some of these grand cars realy are mini cabs. And maybe someone does want to be dropped off in style in a 2 door merc.

As for londons disabled, I heard on radio 4 that some are buying 25 cars a year using thier VAT exemption and selling them right back to the dealer making £3k a time. It knocks £17.5% off of a £300k car, adds 1 name to the log book.

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Yes, I did it too....
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it also does not work on other forums....
it "bottoms-out" at about 20 chars... much more and it does not work.