This is the shocking moment when an unlicensed pedicab veers across a road in the West End and crashes head-on into a London bus.
The crash, which resulted in three people requiring hospital treatment, one for serious injuries, was caught by chance on dash-cam by a taxi driver who had been following the same route as the cycle rickshaw.
The incident, which happened early on Monday morning in Charing Cross Road, has sparked renewed calls for pedicabs and pedicab riders to be licensed.
The video was first broadcast by BBC London News and has been shared with The Standard. The pedicab is thought to have been taken without the consent of its owner.
Transport for London was granted powers to regulate pedicabs – which are notorious for fleecing tourists and late-night visitors to the West End and infuriating residents with blaring music – more than a year ago.
It is due to launch a second consultation “shortly” after 75 per cent of Londoners who replied to an initial consultation earlier this year said they felt unsafe using a pedicab in the capital.
In the video, the pedicab – which is believed to have been carrying two passengers – was being cycled north up Charing Cross Road, towards Oxford Street, when it suddenly veers to the right and crashes into an oncoming N19 night bus.
An ambulance and trauma unit from London’s Air Ambulance were dispatched to the scene, near the junction with Phoenix Street.
According to the London Pedicab Welfare Association, the pedicab driver had left his vehicle unattended to buy food, “during which time a group of intoxicated individuals stole the pedicab” and were involved in the crash.
The Met police said on Monday that one man’s injuries were minor, and he was subsequently discharged.
But the two other victims – aged 23 and 25 – remained in hospital with injuries believed to be serious.
The Standard has asked Scotland Yard for an update on the condition of the two people who were in hospital.
Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association, which represents the capital’s black cab trade, told BBC London: “These vehicles are inherently dangerous.
“It doesn’t matter who is riding it – the bottom line is, these things are dangerous.
“Transport for London needs to pull their finger out and get this sorted, make it safe for Londoners and stop tourists getting ripped off.”
TfL plans to introduce regulations for the pedicab trade akin to those already in place for the minicab industry.
This would require pedicab drivers to be licensed and undergo criminal checks, and for fares to be regulated – possibly in a similar way to the Tube “zone” system.
TfL said it hoped to introduce regulations early in 2026.
A TfL spokesperson said: “Pedicabs are the only form of unregulated public transport in London, and as such impact the safety of the capital’s road network, as well as charging customers rip-off fares.
“As a result of being granted powers to create regulations, we are working hard to deliver effective regulations as soon as possible.
“It is important that any new rules are robust and effective in keeping passengers safe, which is why we have spent time engaging with the pedicab industry and other stakeholders to help us shape proposals.
“We will launch our second public consultation shortly. Feedback from this will help create these important new regulations and will allow us to enforce them.”
A spokesman for the London Pedicab Welfare Association said: “We fully agree that pedicabs should be properly regulated.
“What we oppose is any unfair call for a ban, which appears to be driven more by commercial interests rather than genuine safety concerns.
“The LPWA remains committed to working with TfL to ensure fair, robust, and effective regulations that protect both passengers and professional riders, while keeping pedicabs as a safe and sustainable part of London’s transport culture.”
Under the changes being considered by TfL, pedicab drivers would have to be at least 18, hold a driving licence, have the right to work in the UK, have passed “UK and overseas criminal checks” – namely, a basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check - and have “English language skills”.
Anybody with information on the collision should call 101, quoting CAD reference 483/25AUG.
