Request ID: FOI-0992-2122 Date published: 07 September 2021
You asked
All taxis licensed by TfL are required to have installed an approved induction loop hearing system. The induction loop hearing system must provide sufficient magnetic field strength and frequency response to ensure passengers' using 'T' coil equipped electronic devices can comfortably hear the driver.
Can you tell me whether TFL are aware or have had any reports where the loop hearing system doesn't work or is faulty in the following taxis
LEVC TXe
Nissan Dynamo
TX4
Mercedes VITO
We answered
Our ref: FOI-0992-2122/GH
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 12 August 2021 asking for information about hearing loops in taxis.
Your request has been considered under the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and our information access policy. You asked:
Can you tell me whether TFL are aware or have had any reports where the loop hearing system doesn't work or is faulty in the following taxis
LEVC TXe
Nissan Dynamo
TX4
Mercedes VITO
Our Taxi & Private Hire team is not aware of any recurring problems or complaints regarding these systems installed in London taxis.
We have also checked with our Customer Services to see if they had received any relevant complaints. However, any such complaints would have been recorded under the broad category of ‘Taxi & Private Hire Vehicles’. For the last financial year (01/04/2020 to 31/03/2021) a total of 1,778 complaints were received. In order to see if any of these related to a hearing loop within a taxi, we would need to manually look at each complaint. This work would exceed the ‘appropriate limit’ of £450 set by the Freedom of Information (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004.
Under section 12 of the FOI Act, we are not obliged to comply with requests if we estimate that the cost of determining whether we hold the information, locating and retrieving it and extracting it from other information would exceed the appropriate limit. In this instance, we estimate that the time required to answer your request would exceed 18 hours which, at £25 per hour (the rate stipulated by the Regulations), exceeds the ‘appropriate limit’.
For your information, we have attached guidelines for induction loop hearing systems for London taxis and this is also published on the TfL website.
If you are not satisfied with this response please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely
Graham Hurt FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
