Former Sun newspaper editor and broadcaster Kelvin McKenzie has tweeted to his hundred thousand followers his anger at the lack of regulation around rickshaws in London.
He tells the story of two challenged 22-year-olds, one of whom is a relative, were “ripped off” for £387.36 by a Rickshaw driver who picked them outside Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park on Sunday.
He explains how they both have Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and went to the Christmas fair as a birthday treat for one of them, and were told by the Rickshaw driver that he would charge £5 a minute.
“They were not told it was £5 each,” Mr McKenzie writes. “That alone is illegal. They were driven around for 37 minutes and then paid by credit card. I have the statement. They are not fools but due to their neurodiversity they are challenged by numbers and value of money and need to be protected from these scam artists as do all tourists.”
He goes on to blame London Mayor Sadiq Khan because under the Pedicabs bill, which went through Parliament in April, Transport for London is able to regulate and licence rickshaws, however nothing has happened and TfL say consultation will start sometime next year.
“Why the delay while innocent and vulnerable people are being defrauded of money they can ill afford to lose,” he continues. “It’s a Christmas damaged for these two not that these rip-off artists care. These rickshaws should be banned until regulation is brought in to protect the public.”
Pedicabs are the only form of unregulated transport on the capital’s roads, but the new bill does enable TfL to enforce safety standards and fare caps amid reports of customers being charged amounts such as £500 for a ride from Mayfair to Soho during a night out in 2022.
(File picture – Westminster City Council)
