Rickshaw drivers have been sleeping rough near Buckingham Palace and using bushes beside its perimeter wall as a toilet, according to observations made over three weeks at a nearby coach lay-by.
Up to ten operators at a time were seen bedding down beneath blankets on the seats of their pedal-powered vehicles in Grosvenor Place, between Hyde Park Corner and Victoria Station.
The lay-by is a designated coach pick-up point regulated by Transport for London (TfL) and lies on a red route, where vehicles are not permitted to park. Drivers were nevertheless seen using it to sleep until the morning before returning to work.
On one visit, two men were found asleep in separate rickshaws. On another, two drivers were sharing one vehicle, while a thermal food-delivery bag was left on the road beside it.
Shortly after 6am on one occasion, a driver emerged from a rickshaw and walked to bushes next to the western wall of Buckingham Palace Gardens before returning to sleep.
A commuter who regularly passes the area on the way to work said: “It’s quite a common sight at that time of the morning – and nobody seems to care or do anything about it.”
“You’d think with security and everything this wouldn’t be allowed to happen,” the commuter added. “It’s just another example of how broken Britain is.”
A local businessman said the drivers appeared to use the lay-by when they finished work late, removing their shoes and covering themselves with blankets before sleeping for a few hours.
None of the drivers approached about their sleeping arrangements agreed to discuss them. During visits to the area, police were seen asking a group of rickshaw drivers parked in nearby Chester Street to move on, although some returned after officers had left.
Pedicab clampdown
The findings come as London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan prepares to introduce new rules for the capital’s unregulated pedicab industry, following complaints about excessive fares, loud music and erratic driving.
MPs have previously heard that passengers have been charged hundreds of pounds for short journeys. One case involved a tourist who was charged more than £450 for a seven-minute trip of little more than a mile with two children.
From October 30, drivers will need licences for themselves and their vehicles, undergo enhanced police record checks and meet English-language requirements. They will also have to pass a road-safety test and hold at least a driving theory test certificate.
Fare caps are due to limit the charge to a base fare of up to £5, plus up to £1 a minute for the first passenger. Each additional passenger can add £3 to the fare.
The rules will also ban external audio and require vehicles to be road legal, fitted with numberplates and checked regularly for safety and roadworthiness. Operators will need premises in London, fire-risk assessments and basic DBS checks for staff.
Sir Sadiq said: “Pedicabs should be a fun way to explore London, but too often people face rip-off fares, blaring music and unsafe behaviour.”
“We’re bringing in these new rules so that both customers and drivers can benefit from an industry that is more safe, reliable and professional,” he added.
Westminster City Council leader Councillor Paul Swaddle said: “Nobody should be sleeping in a coach bay or using the walls of Buckingham Palace as a public toilet.”
He said the council expected the mayor and TfL to enforce the licensing rules “robustly from day one”, adding that rogue operators must face “real consequences”.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment, saying it did not discuss security matters.
