London rickshaw driver tries to charge tourists £206 for ‘three-minute’ trip

Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, said the incident showed the need to regulate the rickshaw industry.

Richard Long, 49, the black-cab driver who filmed the exchange, said the fee was “outrageous”. Last year in Chicago, the local authorities brought in measures that meant rickshaw drivers needed licences, had to buy insurance, and must post details of the fares so that potential passengers know what they are getting into.

One officer says: “They were in your vehicle for ten minutes, and you charged them £206?”

He replies: “Okay, so how much?”

Mashable has reached out to the London Pedicabs Operators Association for comment.

Since then their numbers have continued to grow and it is estimated that there are around 650 now in use in London.

“Apart from not being a rider with an LPOA operator, what he is doing is actually illegal”.

However the driver insists the prices are clearly set out.

The driver already had some of the fare in his hand.

Pedicab drivers are also required to carry a form of identification.

Unless you walk, London is an expensive city to get around regardless of the mode of transport you choose, but £10 per minute is a new extreme.

He says: ‘They’re foreign tourists, you’re ripping them off. You’re blantantly ripping them off because you know one minute in here is not worth £10. You know that.’.

The other officer says the driver is “exploiting” the tourists.

However, the driver is not thought to have broken any laws.

The video cuts before the disagreement is settled. “It is shocking and utterly disgraceful that pedicab drivers appear to be taking advantage of customers in this way”.

The driver said he charges £10 a minute.

MailOnline called Met Police for comment but were told that a statement would not be issued as the incident was a “civil matter between the two parties involved”.