A union has labelled proposals by the Mayor of London to cap the number of minicab drivers in the capital “absolutely ridiculous”.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan yesterday called on the Government to cap the number of minicab drivers to reduce congestion on London’s roads.

The number of minicabs, also known as Private Hire Vehicles (PHVs), in London has increased from 60,000 to over 110,00 since 2011.

Steve Wright, the chairman of the Licensed Private Hire Car Association (LPHCA), called the plans “an absolutely ridiculous proposal”.

Mr Wright said a cap on minicabs would push up prices for passengers and make it harder for companies to recruit drivers as well as impacting drivers who rely on the trade for their livelihoods.

He raised concerns that capping the number of minicabs will increase the number of people driving and in turn increase rather than reduce congestion.

Mr Wright is also worried the move discriminates against minicab drivers as taxi drivers face no threat of having their numbers capped.

Minicabs must be booked in advance through minicab companies whereas taxi and black cab drivers can take bookings from the side of the road and are self-employed.

Mr Wright said: “Black cabs are a lot more expensive than minicabs, for elderly and disabled people minicabs are their cheap from of transport.

“They are an integral part of what people need in terms of safety and convenience and cutting them will compromise all of those things.

“Politicians are getting things really badly wrong.

“We are lobbying the government to make sure that this proposal doesn’t go through and we are going to do everything we can to talk the mayor out of this.”

Perry Richardson, a licensed taxi driver and the founder of trade publication TaxiPoint, said he fully supports Mr Khan’s proposals, calling the plans “vital” to reduce congestion and improve air quality.

In contrast to Mr Wright he believes that both taxi and minicab drivers would support the cap.

Mr Richardson said: “This number of minicabs is far too high and has diluted the market pushing many drivers into working excessive hours just to cover costs. London doesn’t need this number of vehicles to give good coverage to the public.”