Toronto’s Taxis, by the numbers
The data used in these charts is derived from the City of Toronto’s January 6th Annual/Semi-Annual Inspection Certification for V02 Toronto Taxicab owner plates and Annual/Semi-Annual Inspection Certification for V00 Toronto Taxicab owner plates.
| Standard plate projections – 2024 only | |
| Number of standard plates issued by Toronto | 4374 |
| Number of standard plates on the road working | 2764 |
| Number of standard plates not on the road working/”on the shelf” | 1610 |
| Number of standard Taxi vehicles expiring in 2024 | 1785 |
| Combined total “on the shelf” + expiring in 2024 | 3395 |
| 3395 as a percentage of total working (4374) | 78% |
| Accessible plate projections – 2024/25 | |
| Number of Accessible plates issued by Toronto | 577 |
| Number of Accessible plates on the road working | 438 |
| Number of Accessible plates not on the road working | 139 |
| Number of Accessibles expiring in 2024 | 57 |
| Number of Accessibles expiring in 2025 | 387 |
| Number of Accessible Taxi vehicles expiring in 2024 and 2025 | 444 |
| Number of Accessible Taxi vehicles expiring in 2024/2025 | 444 |
| Combined “on the shelf: + expiring in 2024/25 | 583 |
| 583 as a percentage of total working (577) | 101% |
and Annual/Semi-Annual Inspection Certification for V00 Toronto Taxicab owner plates.
The difference between a “plate” and a “vehicle”
To understand Toronto’s Taxi industry as it is regulated by the City, it helps to understand the terminology being used.
Each individual Taxi consists of:
-a licensed Taxi driver;
-a vehicle;
-a Taxi plate, the small metal plate affixed to the trunk of the vehicle with a number on it. That number is the “plate number” and it is painted on both sides of the car and displayed inside the car. Plates may be transferred from one owner to another; they do not have an expiry date, but ownership must be renewed annually.
The “vehicle” is the automobile (sedan or van) driven by the licensed Taxi driver. In Toronto, a vehicle can be used as a Taxi only for seven years, and then it must be replaced. However, in the past, Council has opted to extend the legal age of Taxis, for example during COVID because there was so little business.
Under Toronto’s by-laws, unless there is an exemption, standard Taxi vehicles expire after seven model years and must be replaced. Accessible vans expire after ten years and must be replaced.
