This is the moment a rickshaw crashed head-on into a bus coming the other way in central London – leaving one person fighting for their life.
The bright pink pedicab ploughed straight into the driver’s side of a new Routemaster at 1am on Bank Holiday Monday in the heart of the West End.
Recently released dashcam footage captures the instant of collision, revealing a vehicle swerving into the path of a bus near the Phoenix Theatre, positioned at the intersection of Charing Cross Road and Phoenix Street.
The crash causes the vehicle to spin and flip onto its side, prompting bystanders to rush to aid the injured. Emergency crews arrived shortly after the crash.
Three men sustained injuries and were hospitalized, with two suffering from serious conditions. One individual’s injuries were so severe that they were transported to a major trauma center.
Reports suggest the pedicab had been taken without permission and was not being driven by its owner.
This incident has rekindled concerns about the lack of regulation in London’s pedicab industry, despite Transport for London having had the authority for over a year to impose regulations.
The Pedicabs (London) Act 2024 authorized TfL to establish a licensing system, similar to those for taxis and private hire vehicles, to ensure pedicabs are safe and customers are fairly charged.
Did you see the crash? Email: jon.brady@dailymail.co.uk
This is the moment a pedicab veered into the path of a bus in the heart of London’s west end
The vehicle was overturned in the crash, with members of the public rushing in to help
The aftermath of the crash after the scene was closed off by police in the early hours of Bank Holiday Monday
At the moment, the tourist-trap tricycles can charge what they like – with many charging hugely inflated prices.
A Mail investigation earlier this year saw our reporter charged £40 to ride from Leicester Square to Covent Garden, a distance of just 0.3 miles.
Westminster Council has previously fined some pedicab operators for noise pollution, as they often disrupt London’s atmosphere by playing loud pop music through low-quality speakers on their rickshaws.
While a nuisance, they are not illegal – and since they are not currently regulated, anyone can operate one and charge whatever they like until TfL puts a scheme in place.
Monday’s crash involved a pedicab that was taken without permission, according to its owner.
Speaking to Metro, the unnamed 54-year-old said: ‘I went to get something to eat and when I returned it was gone. I started looking and found the crash.
‘I am devastated my bike is ruined but it’s not about that I just want the people to recover. My thoughts and prayers are with them. It looked very bad.’
The Metropolitan Police said earlier this week that three men were treated at the scene of the crash, with one man later discharged after his injuries were deemed minor. Two other men aged 23 and 25 remain in hospital.
A spokesperson for the Met could not provide a further update today. Anyone with any information on the collision is asked to call 101, quoting reference 483/25AUG.
The severity of the crash has sparked fresh calls for TfL to expedite its regulatory scheme for pedicabs.
The pedicab was reportedly taken without the owner’s permission after he stepped away to get a bite to eat (pictured: the aftermath of the crash)
The crash has sparked fresh calls for Transport for London to expedite its plans to impose a regulatory scheme on the capital’s rickshaws
The rickshaws are hugely popular with revellers and tourists – but at present can charge what they please and can be operated by anyone
Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association, has called on TfL to ‘pull its finger out’ to protect the public
It launched a consultation on how to regulate them earlier this year – and says a second public survey is imminent that will help shape the rules. The finalised regulations will then take effect from early 2026.
But Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association, says it isn’t happening quick enough.
He claims a pedicab ‘absolutely disintegrated’ in a crash test performed at the Transport Research Laboratory – suggesting they are too fragile to be allowed to ride rampant on London’s roads.
Speaking to BBC London, which obtained the dashcam footage of Monday’s crash, he added: ‘It doesn’t matter who’s riding it – the bottom line is these things are dangerous.
‘Transport for London need to pull their finger out and get this sorted, make it safe for Londoners, stop tourists getting ripped off and make this a better city, which is what they’re supposed to be doing.’
Some 6,766 people responded to TfL’s first consultation, including a handful of pedicab drivers who said they would continue operating under a licensed scheme.
Of those who used them, 75 per cent said they felt either ‘very unsafe’ or ‘not so safe’ while riding in one – and 85 per cent said they felt ripped off.
And 55 per cent said they wouldn’t trust even a regulated pedicab to be safe and reliable should a scheme be introduced to control their use.
A Transport for London 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.’
