Taxi and limousine drivers are the most likely workers to die a violent death on the job, a new CDC report has shown.

Compared to other workers, they have an increased risk of such deaths because they work with cash, with the public, alone and during nighttime hours, the new analysis says.

The study also reveals that black and Hispanic drivers are more likely than white drivers to die on the job, and male drivers are six times more at risk than female drivers.

The new research labels the industry as disproportionately dangerous, and it warns that measures need to be taken by city governments to further protect private transportation drivers.

Researchers who worked on the new report analyzed data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics on the deaths of taxi and limo drivers from 2003 to 2013.

They concluded that 366 taxi drivers died a work-related death that was considered 'violent' during the 11-year period they looked at. This number translates to about 18 of every 100,000 taxi and limo drivers. The primary cause of these deaths was homicide.

While motor-vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for most who work in the transportation industry, this does not hold true for taxi drivers.
The study found that 50 percent more cab drivers were killed by workplace violence than by car crashes in 2014.

The South was the region with the largest number of deaths and the report said that regional differences among the rates of deaths could stem from differing safety regulations.

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Pollution in London is a public health priority.

Historically, the taxi trade has had a limited choice of diesel vehicles to use. This has led to the fleet becoming a significant contributor to poor air quality, particularly in central London, where they contribute 16% of all road transport NOx in central London.

The Mayor's Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan sets out how we intend to establish the Capital's taxi fleet as the greenest in the world:

Zero Emission Capable (ZEC) taxis
We will introduce new licensing requirements from 1 January 2018 to reduce emissions from the taxi fleet by phasing out diesel taxis and increasing the number of ZEC vehicles in London.

The maximum 15 year age limit remains in place.
New licensing requirements from 1 January 2018
From 1 January 2018, taxis presented for licensing for the first time will need to be ZEC. This means having CO2 emissions of no more than 50g/km and a minimum 30 mile zero emission range

A first-time taxi vehicle licence will no longer be granted to a diesel taxi. ZEC taxis with petrol engines will need to meet the latest emissions standard (currently Euro 6)

Grant funding for ZEC taxis

We are helping to fund a Government-led Plug-in Taxi Grant, which will give taxi drivers up to £7,500 off the price of a new ZEC taxi. We expect the first vehicles to be available to buy later this year.

Taxi delicensing scheme

As part of the Mayor's commitment to double spending on air quality over the next five years, we have allocated an additional £42 million for the taxi delicensing scheme.

The scheme offers owners of the oldest, most polluting taxis a payment of up to £5,000 to remove their vehicle from London's taxi fleet and to help make the switch to ZEC vehicles sooner than planned.

The Mayor has also called on Government for a national vehicle scrappage fund to complement this scheme and to help taxi drivers scrap their vehicles entirely. Read the full scrappage fund proposal.

Eligibility for the scheme

To apply for the taxi delicensing scheme, you will need to meet the following criteria:

You must own a TfL licensed taxi that is 10 years or older but less than 15 years of age

You will need to be listed as the registered keeper of the licensed taxi in the V5 log book and registered on TfL's records

You must not be in the process of selling the taxi

Your taxi must be licensed, in a roadworthy state and have a current MOT

How to apply

Check whether your vehicle is eligible and apply for the scheme by visiting the taxi delicensing checker.

Delicensing payments

If you want to delicense your taxi, you may be eligible for a payment of up to £5,000 for the early surrender of your London taxi licence plate and vehicle licence.

The amount you may receive will be in line with the age of the vehicle:

Age of vehicle Payment amount
10 years or older  £5,000
11 years or older  £3,800
12 years or older  £2,800
13 years or older  £1,900
14 years or older  £1,200
15 years or older  Not eligible

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Gett Together with Citymapper

An innovative new way to travel that’s part bus, part taxi, is launching in London to help commuters get to and from work on routes that are currently tricky to navigate.

Gett, the app for ordering black cabs on demand, will now offer shared taxis on a dedicated route between Waterloo and Islington for the same price as a journey on public transport, with stop offs at any point along the way.

The startup worked with fellow tech firm Citymapper to identify areas under served by Tube lines or buses, tapping into the popular map app’s vast amount of data which has already been used to create a new night bus service in East London.

And the black cab carpooling service Gett Together, unveiled late last year, lets people share a cab with someone going in the same direction.
Now, the two have been combined in what Gett is calling the "Black Bus 1" route with the aim of reducing the current travel time on the north to south journey of 40 minutes to just 15 and at a cost of only £3.

Passengers can stop off anywhere along the fixed route which passes through Angel, Farringdon and Aldwych during morning and evening rush hours from next week (7am - 10am and 5pm - 8pm).

Gett’s UK managng director Matteo de Renzi told City A.M. the first route is just the start of scaling up the service.

“We really believe it will revolutionise the daily commute. Maybe there’ll be 50 [routes], maybe 100, we’re very confident and the pilot is very very promising. How big [it will be] we’ll see,” he said.

The concept brings “the speed and availability of a cab, but the convenience of a bus” said Renzi.

“Lets not forget cabs can use bus lanes,” he said, adding that it would also help reduce congestion and pollution in the capital. The option to book a cab on the route will appear in the Gett app and be suggested to Citymapper's thousands of users in the area.

It compliments existing public transport but can also help with temporary spikes in demand for travel. For example, a “pop-up” route could appear when there is engineering works on the London Underground as an alternative to rail replacement services, he said, or during big events at Wembley stadium.

Gett is backed by German car giant Volkswagen, one of several traditional car makers attempting to turn itself into a "mobility" company to fit into a wider transport landscape as technology brings disruption.

Citymapper earlier this year unveiled its plans to "reinvent travel" by tapping into the information it has from the billions of journeys that have been planned in more than 30 of cities around the world using its app.

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