Transport for London (TfL) has defended a delay enforcing new pedicab regulations after it was criticised by a former Sun newspaper editor who said a family member had been duped over £380 outside Winter Wonderland.

The transport body said it is currently carrying out an impact assessment and plans to open its proposals to regulate rickshaws in the capital to the public for consultation in early 2025. It comes after Kelvin MacKenzie, who led The Sun paper between 1981 and 1994, claimed a family member and a friend were ripped off £387.36 in Hyde Park on Sunday (December 8).

In a post on X, he wrote: "They both have Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and went to the Christmas fair as a birthday treat for one of them. They were told by the rickshaw driver that it would be £5 a minute. They were not told it was £5 each."

Mr MacKenzie claimed this was "illegal" and said the duo was driven around for 37 minutes and then paid by credit card. He said due to their neuro-diversity, the two were challenged by numbers and the value of money.

He also accused the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and TfL of failing to protect vulnerable individuals and tourists. He wrote: "Under a law (the Pedicabs bill) went through Parliament in April which meant TfL would regulate and licence these fraudsters. However nothing has happened and TfL say consultation will start sometime next year.

"Why the delay while innocent and vulnerable people are being defrauded of money they can ill afford to lose [?] It's a Christmas damaged for these two, not that these rip-off artists care… These rickshaws should be banned until regulation is brought in to protect the public."

Mr MacKenzie said former Happy Days star Henry Winkler had also been a victim and spoken out. In July, Mr Winkler posted on X that he had been ripped off USD $170 (GBP £133) by a pedicab driver while visiting London in July.

He wrote at the time: "TRAVEL TIP: DO NOT take one of these bicycle taxis without absolutely negotiating the price first. This person in London rode us around in circles then finally to our destination 7 blocks away…for $170 US! My fault, I paid, but passenger beware!"

A TfL spokesperson said pedicabs remained the only form of unregulated transport in London. They also said pedicabs impact the safety of London's road network and acknowledged customers were being charged "well-documented rip-off fares."

The spokesperson said: "We're pleased to now have the powers to start creating regulations under the Pedicabs (London) Act 2024, which will improve the safety of the industry.

"It is important that any new rules are robust and effective in keeping passengers safe, which is why we are engaging with the pedicab industry and elsewhere to help us shape proposals. Once this is done, we will launch a public consultation next year. Feedback from this will help create these important new regulations and will allow us to enforce them."

City Hall has declined to comment. Last November, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) went undercover to investigate the issue, and was asked for between £20 and £50 for a five-to-10-minute ride. Westminster City Council, the governing body for the majority of the pedicab hotspots, has previously said it is aware of passengers being charged close to £500 for 10-minute trips across the West End.