FOI request detail

ABBA Dart Taxis Limited

Request ID: FOI-0503-1718
Date published: 02 August 2017

You asked

Firstly I would like an accurate record of each Driver and vehicle that is licensed by your Authority for ABBA Dart and or an accurate number of Drivers and vehicles that you currently have licensed and working for your authority through ABBA Dart Limited. Secondly we are also aware that the Director Mr Pravdeep Mengar is also a designated Topographical Examiner on Sight for issuing and examining licenses, we kindly request under the same act mentioned above exactly how many licenses have been issued within the last twelve months through and on behalf of your authority by Pravdeep Mengar .

We answered

TfL Ref: FOI-0503-1718

 

Thank you for your email received on 12 May asking for information regarding a licensed private hire operator.

 

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

 

“Firstly I would like an accurate record of each Driver and vehicle that is licensed by your Authority for ABBA Dart and or an accurate number of Drivers and vehicles that you currently have licensed and working for your authority through ABBA Dart Limited.

 

Secondly we are also aware that the Director Mr Pravdeep Mengar is also a designated Topographical Examiner on Sight for issuing and examining licenses, we kindly request under the same act mentioned above exactly how many licenses have been issued within the last twelve months through and on behalf of your authority by Pravdeep Mengar.”

 

In accordance with the FOI Act, we are not obliged to supply the information requested in your first question as it is subject to a statutory exemption to the right of access to information under section 43(2) of the FOI Act. In this instance section 43(2) exemption has been applied to the number of drivers and vehicles registered with ABBA Dart, as disclosure would be likely to prejudice their commercial interests. Disclosure of this information would enable rival companies to have an insight into any operator’s business model and undermine their position in the competitive market place.

 

The use of this exemption is subject to an assessment of the public interest in relation to the disclosure of the information concerned. We recognise that there is a public interest in understanding the scope of our regulatory activity. However, we feel that there is a greater public interest in ensuring that companies are able to compete fairly without being placed at a commercial disadvantage and the balance of the public interest supports the exemption.

In answer to your second question, the person in question would not be authorised to issue licences on Transport for London’s (TfL’s) behalf. Licensing is purely a function of the licensing authority so the answer to this question is none.

 

All new applicants for a private hire drivers licence sit a topographic assessment delivered by TfL assessors at one of a number of TfL approved assessment centres. Abba Dart Limited is not an approved test centre and Mr Pravdeep Mengar is not a TfL assessor. A full list of assessment centres can be found on our website at the following location: https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/taxis-and-private-hire/licensing/topographical-assessment.

 

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for some reason, please do not hesitate 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,

 

Melissa Nichols

 

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

 

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