Legal background
Prior to the Pedicabs (London) Act, there was no extant legislation allowing for the regulation of pedicabs in London. This was because the legislation which enables TfL to regulate taxis within London did not apply to pedicabs. Conflicting judicial decisions meant that pedicabs could be regulated only outside London, where different legislation applies.
	Outside London, in England and Wales, pedicabs are treated as taxis for the purposes of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 and Part II of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976. Accordingly, pedicabs may be regulated as taxis under the provisions of the 1847 and 1976 Acts.
	By contrast, within London, pedicabs were not treated as taxis for the purpose of the Metropolitan Public Carriage Act 1869. This was the equivalent legislation in London. Pedicabs were instead considered stage carriages in London pursuant to section 4 of the Metropolitan Public Carriage Act. The legislation governing stage carriages is no longer in force; there were therefore no licensing provisions, so pedicabs were unregulated in London.
	It was not considered appropriate to amend the 1869 Act to regulate pedicabs. However, this Act is modelled on sections 9 and 10 of that Act, which enable TfL to make orders that regulate taxis in London and to attach penalties to contraventions.