How many Uber and Lyft drivers are there in London? The number might surprise you

Bylaw officials and police in London gave out more than 500 tickets during a month-long safety blitz targeting taxis and riseshares, but it might be another number that stuns Londoners: There are more than 7,500 registered Ubers and Lyfts in the city — one rideshare driver for every 60 people in a city of 450,000.

"We've seen our business decline for some time now, going back to the summer of 2015 when Uber first started here. The city really brought this on themselves when they didn't set a limit on how many ride-sharing vehicles could be on the road," said Huruy Woldemicael, the general manager of Green Taxi, which has pivoted to more accessible cabs to make up for the decline in sedan rides. 

"They'll never have enough resources to monitor and enforce the vehicle-for-hire bylaw when there are so many of these vehicles. And with the ongoing tariff crisis, I assume there will be even more job losses and more people wanting to work for these ride-sharing apps part-time for extra income." 

The goal of the safety crackdown was to enforce rules and make sure drivers know what their legal obligations are, London police Staff Sgt. Michael Anderson said. 

The enforcement crackdown saw a total of 47 vehicles for hire inspected by mechanics for safety violations, which builds on previous work done by bylaw enforcement officers in February to crack down on illegal rides.

A large number of the infractions were given to rideshare drivers, not drivers with cab companies, bylaw officials said. There were 515 provincial offence notices issued during the safety initiative, along with 32 licence plates and driver's licences seized.

There are roughly 500 cabs and 100 limos in operation in London, in addition to the 7,500 private rideshare cars, officials said. 

Cabs and limos have to undergo safety checks annually when their licences are renewed, but they're massively outnumbered by their less regulated counterparts. Rideshare drivers are subject to safety requirements as well under municipal law and the rules of the apps they operate on.

But Woldemicael worries that the trade war with the United States and looming recession could force more people to get into the rideshare business for extra cash. 

"Right now, there are 7,500 of them, but there's no hard cap," he said. "If there's a recession or job losses, that number could creep up to 20,000 overnight. There's nothing that's going to stop that number from growing. Then what will the city do?" 

The eroding trust in who takes you from one part of the city to another has a negative effect on cabbies as well, said Woldemicael. 

"We've always stressed that there should be cameras in all vehicles, more markings to identify those who are offering vehicles for hire services," he said. "People feel more comfortable getting in a taxi because they know the brand has existed for quite some time.