A Belgian tourist has expressed shock and dismay after being charged more than £450 for a mere seven-minute pedicab ride in central London. April Argenau, accompanied by her two

children, took the 1.3-mile journey from Oxford Street to the Royal Lancaster hotel, only to be hit with an exorbitant fee upon arrival. When she contested the fare, she claimed feeling threatened by the pedicab driver.

According to Ms. Argenau, the driver initially presented a fare of £330, but with a press of a button, the amount escalated to £464. In her home currency, this amounted to over €530. Feeling intimidated, she paid the demanded sum, after which the driver promptly vanished, skillfully evading the hotel's surveillance cameras.

This incident highlights the ongoing problem of tourists falling victim to scams perpetrated by pedicab drivers in London's West End. The Licensed Taxi Drivers Association and Met Police regularly receive reports of such occurrences. The absence of updated regulations for pedicabs, whose laws date back to 1869, has created a situation where virtually anyone can operate a pedicab and charge unsuspecting passengers exorbitant fees.

Steve Mcnamara, Chair of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, decried the situation as a "national disgrace" and emphasized the urgent need for stringent regulations to safeguard vulnerable tourists and preserve the integrity of London's transportation industry.

To combat the growing concern, Westminster City Council has been issuing fines to pedicab drivers for excessive fares and noise pollution. Monthly patrols have been deployed in popular areas to address the issue, but without government legislation, the problem persists.

While pedicab drivers were supposed to be included in the government's Transport Bill, its delay has left them operating without proper regulations. As such, the call for stricter rules to protect tourists and maintain order within the transportation sector remains pressing. Photo by Ecochariots, Wikimedia commons.