Do you know the rickshaw driver? Email richard.spillett@mailonline.co.uk

Spokesperson for the Mayor of London described such incidences as 'shocking and utterly disgraceful'

The driver claims he told them it would cost £10 a minute before journey

This is the shocking moment a London rickshaw driver attempted to charge tourists £206 for a mile-long journey from Oxford Circus to Marble Arch.

The outrageous incident was captured on camera by cab driver Richard Long, who confronted the man alongside a pair of passing police officers.

In the video one of the policemen approaches the driver and says: ‘You’re ripping them off aren’t you?’ He replies by saying: ‘That’s our price list,’ and stands firm throughout the dispute.

The rickshaw driver stood firm throughout the dispute and claimed that he told the tourists that the journey would cost them £10 a minute

All the while one of the children involved states to the driver and police officers that they were only in the rickshaw for a total of three minutes – the driver disputes this and claims it was ten.

The other police officer then says: ‘They were in your vehicle for ten minutes and you charged them £206. I suggest that is not very fair.’

The rickshaw driver replies by asking the officers how much he should charge and the first officer says: ‘You come up with a reasonable amount of money. They have had a service off you, which is fine.’

The rickshaw driver attempted to charge the tourists £206 for a mile-long journey from Oxford Circus to Marble Arch

One of the policemen told the driver that he was blatantly ripping off the tourists because the journey should not cost £10 per minute

PEDAL POWER: RICKSHAW RULES IN LONDON Rickshaws, or pedicabs, have been used in London since 1998 when a company called Bugbugs brought them to the roads of the West End. Since then their numbers have continued to grow and it is estimated that there are around 650 currently in use in London. The London Pedicab Operators Association (LPOA) formed as a voluntary group in 2004 to attempt to bring uniformity to the service. The LPOA brought in the rule that drivers must agree a price with passengers before setting off so that there is no issue upon reaching a destination. However as most of the drivers in London hire their vehicle from an operator, the fares can often differ. Pedicab drivers are also required to carry a form of identification. Advertisement

The driver then interrupts the policeman and claims that he had previously talked to the family and explained to them that it would cost them £10 a minute.

The policeman continues: ‘They’re foreign tourists. You’re blatantly ripping them off. Because you know that one minute in here is not £10 worth of money. You know that.’

The policeman later says: ‘You’re exploiting tourists,’ before asking the man who he works for. The rickshaw driver claims to work for Glow Taxis.

The video then concludes without the dispute being settled as the cab driver filming returns to his vehicle for a fare.

After being contacted by MailOnline, a spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: 'The Mayor has serious concerns about the Pedicab trade and is lobbying the Government for new legislation that would give Transport for London powers to regulate them, powers they don't legally possess at the moment.

'This video only adds weight to his determination to make that happen.

The rickshaw driver asked one of the officers how much he should charge for the service but appeared to refuse to hand back any of the money

'It is shocking and utterly disgraceful that pedicab drivers appear to be taking advantage of customers in this way.'

Speaking to The London Evening Standard, cab driver Mr Long said fleecing tourists like that was ‘disgusting’ and that he would have charged about £7 for the same journey.

MailOnline called Met Police for comment but were told that a statement would not be issued as the incident was a ‘civil matter between the two parties involved’.