Checks on PHD and taxi drivers at Paddington Station
Request ID: FOI-1409-2425 Date published: 23 August 2024
You asked
F/O from 1109-2425
Hi Sara
Thank you for your email and the information.
Could I ask an follow on to this if possible. Out of the 6,709 PHD that was checked at Paddington Station could you confirm how many were written to by LTPH regarding their driving standards as the Badge and Bill checks are indeed carried out on Paddington Station forecourt meaning in order to access this location the PHD would have to disregard the no right turn and no left turn in order to access the station forecourt which is currently only Taxi are allowed.
If you look at the number of Taxi Drivers checked 2,215 and then compare to PHD 6,709 it appears that Taxi Drivers are stopped more often at a ratio of 3 taxi drivers to 1 PHD. Could you kindly explain the reason for this as the total number of drivers is a ratio of 1 Taxi Driver to 5 PHD.
Currently there are 107,936 PHD and only 17,171 Taxi Drivers meaning a ratio of at least 5 PHDs to 1 Taxi Driver.
We answered
TfL Ref: 1409-2425
Thank you for your further request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 5 August 2024 asking for information about checks on private hire drivers.
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 specifically asked:
Could I ask a follow on to this if possible (TfL foi ref 1109-2425 refers). Out of the 6,709 PHD that was checked at Paddington Station could you confirm how many were written to by LTPH regarding their driving standards as the Badge and Bill checks are indeed carried out on Paddington Station forecourt meaning in order to access this location the PHD would have to disregard the no right turn and no left turn in order to access the station forecourt which is currently only Taxi are allowed.
If you look at the number of Taxi Drivers checked 2,215 and then compare to PHD 6,709 it appears that Taxi Drivers are stopped more often at a ratio of 3 taxi drivers to 1 PHD. Could you kindly explain the reason for this as the total number of drivers is a ratio of 1 Taxi Driver to 5 PHD. Currently there are 107,936 PHD and only 17,171 Taxi Drivers meaning a ratio of at least 5 PHDs to 1 Taxi Driver
Please see below the number of taxi and private drivers and vehicles reported as non-compliant over the past three years at Paddington.
While TfL Operations Officers have visited Paddington to undertake regular compliance inspections, this doesn't relate to the query of right or left turns at the station. Our routine compliance inspection patrol at this location do not include observations on access and this is not a matter that we enforce.
The number of taxi and private hire drivers reported as non-compliant at Paddington Station in this period is 643 — a further breakdown is provided below:
102 taxi drivers were reported for non-compliance. The highest contributors to taxi drivers' non-compliance was due to not wearing badges, failure to produce bills, smoking in the taxi, issues with hire and reward insurance and unattended taxis on the taxi rank.
541 private hire drivers were reported for non-compliance. The highest contributors to private hire drivers' non-compliance was due to not wearing badges, issues with hire and reward, smoking in the vehicle and defaced licence discs.
The number of taxi and private hire vehicles reported in this period as non-compliant at Paddington Station in this period is 559 — a further breakdown is provided below:
213 taxi vehicles were reported for non-compliance. The highest contributors to taxi vehicles non-compliance was due to no MOT, tyres and bodywork issues (including failure to display appropriate signage).
346 private hire vehicles were reported for non-compliance. The highest contributors to private hire vehicles non-compliance was due to no MOT, tyres and bodywork issues (including failure to display appropriate signage and lights).
As there are more private hire drivers and vehicles than taxis, we carry out more checks on private hire drivers and vehicles than taxi drivers and vehicles. In our latest pan-London compliance figures for TfL Period 3, between 26 May - 22 June 2024, we conducted 954 checks on taxi drivers and 975 on taxi vehicles, whereas within the same period we checked 4,482 private hire drivers and 4,661 private hire vehicles.
Our deployments are data and demand-led, and in the interests of maintaining high standards across both taxis and private hire, our officers will carry out checks on drivers and vehicles they come across at their deployed location. Each location will have unique features and therefore usage. Across our entire operation we take a balanced approach to ensure our checks are fair and proportionate across both trades.
We are committed to ensuring compliance checks are carried out consistently and are proportionate to both the taxi and private hire trades.
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any 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
Sara Thomas FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
