TfL Ref:          0477-1718

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 30 May 2017.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.  I can confirm we do hold the information you require. You asked:

Could you tell me who/which companies have applied for a PHV Operator Licence in London in the last 12 months?
Can you also tell me whether their applications were ultimately granted or denied?

In the last 12 months we received 1,037 applications for an operators licence (416 new applications and 621 renewal applications). Of these, 726 were granted an operators licence (271 new applications and 455 renewal applications). The remaining applicants have either not been granted a licence or the application is still being assessed.

You can confirm the details of all currently licensed operators on our website at the following location: www.tfl.gov.uk/info-for/taxis-and-private-hire/licensing/licence-checker.

We are unable to provide you with a list of all companies who have applied for an operators licence in the past 12 months. In accordance with Section 41 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, we are not compelled to disclose information regarding applications that have not led to an operator being licensed and any applications that are currently be being processed.

Section 41 of the FOI Act is an exemption where information has been provided to a public authority in confidence. Although the private hire operator licence application form advises applicants that details of their licence, if granted, will be held on a public register, no indication is given that this information will be disclosed to the public prior to the granting of the licence. As applicants for a private hire operator licence have a reasonable expectation of confidentiality when they submit their application we are not obliged to provide this information.

Since section 41 confers an absolute exemption, it is not necessary to consider whether the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information. Even if section 41 did not confer absolute exemption, there would be no special public interest in disclosure of this information that would justify a breach of confidence in this case.

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for some reason, please feel free to contact me.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

Yours sincerely