Request ID: FOI-0713-2324 Date published: 23 June 2023
You asked
I would like to request the following information in an electronic format:
1) In the last 10 years, how many fires have occurred on Transport for London property and vehicles due to passengers and their possessions?
2) Please could you breakdown the information by location, cause and year
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-0713-2324 Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 5th June 2023 asking for information about fires on TfL property and vehicles. Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. Specifically you asked: “I would like to request the following information in an electronic format: 1) In the last 10 years, how many fires have occurred on Transport for London property and vehicles due to passengers and their possessions? 2) Please could you breakdown the information by location, cause and year.” I can confirm that we hold the information you require. However, as there is no quick or efficient way of sourcing the data the request is being refused under section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act. Under section 12, TfL is not obliged to provide information if it would cost more than £450 to determine if the requested information is held, and to then locate, retrieve or extract it from elsewhere. This is calculated at a rate of £25 per hour, equivalent to 18 hours work. In this case, the exemption applies because there is no single source for the information; because of the broad scope and complexity of TfL’s operations (which includes the London Underground, London Overground, the Elizabeth Line, the Docklands Light Railway, trams, buses, river services, Victoria coach station, the London Transport Museum, and various other properties such as depots and offices); because of the long timeframe covered by the request; and due to the stipulation that only fires caused by “passengers and their possessions” are within scope. While it is difficult to estimate how long it would take us to answer the request, we believe that to determine exactly what information is held and where, and to source it all, would take far in excess of the costs limit. In order to bring your request within the costs limit you may wish to reframe it to narrow its scope and to focus on the information that is of most importance to you. In particular, you may want to ask for information relating to a specific mode only, and for a much shorter period. 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, David Wells FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
