Now that the General Election has taken place, this Association felt it important that we update our information pertaining to the taxi and private hire industry in respect of all licensing authorities across the UK. As it has been quite a while since we conducted our last survey, it was decided to ask for all the information collectively under a formal Freedom of Information request. We would be obliged if you could respond to the attached survey questionnaire as quickly as possible within the allowable time frame, so that we may compile the information in a concise and easily readable format. Also, we wish to publish the survey results in the national trade newspaper Private Hire and Taxi Monthly (PHTM), as this publication is widely read across the industry and we like to try to provide readers with as much information as possible “under one roof”. This will also give licensing officers and licence holders alike the opportunity to learn about other areas and make quick comparisons without having to access 374 council websites!

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Our ref: FOI-1091-1718/GH

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 28 July 2017 asking for information about taxi and private hire licensing.

Your request has been considered under the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and our information access policy. I can confirm that we do hold the information you require.

Most of the information you require is already published on our website. Please see the following links:

https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/red-routes/rules-of-red-routes/bus-lanes (taxis can drive in bus lanes but not PHV)

https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/taxis-and-private-hire/licensing/licensing-information (information on number of licenses issued and why we cannot cap licences)

https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/taxis-and-private-hire/licensing/private-hire-driver-licence (licence fees)

https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/taxis-and-private-hire/licensing/apply-for-a-taxi-driver-licence (licence fees)

https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/taxis-and-private-hire/licensing/apply-for-a-taxi-vehicle-licence (vehicle licence specifications, including vehicle age)

https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/taxis-and-private-hire/licensing/private-hire-vehicle-licence (vehicle licence specifications, including vehicle age)

http://content.tfl.gov.uk/guidelines-for-cctv-in-taxis-and-phv.pdf (cctv in taxis and private hire vehicles)

Please note that under Section 21 of the Freedom of information Act we are not obliged to provide you with information which is reasonably accessible elsewhere.

There is only one question you have raised where the answer is not available from our website:

“the number of dual licensed drivers (those holding both a PHV and taxi drivers licence).”

Transport for London’s systems record where a driver has applied to be licensed as both a private hire (PHV) and taxi driver (separately) using the same record details. Using this information we have identified 220 drivers that presently hold both an active PHV and an active taxi licence.

However, it is possible that two separate records have been created by some drivers for each licence. In order to check this we would need to manually check of over 141,000 individual records, which would take an excessive amount of time and would exceed the ‘appropriate limit’ of £450 set by the Freedom of Information (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004).

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.

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

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