That is, however, a requirement for taxi drivers only (who can be hailed and pick up people off the street), but not for private hire drivers (who must be prebo

That is, however, a requirement for taxi drivers only (who can be hailed and pick up people off the street), but not for private hire drivers (who must be prebooked through a booking office). It is, perhaps, the most notable difference. London has more stringent requirements for private hires than much of the UK (especially relating to pollution), but ultimately most of the requirements essentially relate to equipment (pollution standards for the car, fire extinguisher, first aid kit, etc.) which while they form a cost to entry are nothing compared with a multi-year effort to learn a large part of London, or the tens/hundreds of thousands that medallions cost in many places.