TfL Ref: 1672-1819

Thank you for your email received on 22 September 2018 asking for information about private hire driver licensing.

As mentioned previously in my acknowledgement, we have considered the following part of your request in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our Information Access Policy, with the remainder of your correspondence to be addressed by Customer Services. I • Consideration of the applicant’s medical fitness and whether they meet the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) Group 2 standard of medical fitness to drive. This may include a full review of the applicant’s medical history by our medical advisors.

• Ensuring that the applicant’s character meets the required standard, including a review of the results of a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

• A topographical skills assessment. can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. You asked:

Can i please request you to provide me with average processing time for PHV driver licence application, and also how many backlog applications are still to be dealt with

The decision to grant a private hire license depends on a number of factors. These include but are not limited to:

• Checking that an applicant meets the mandatory requirements for licensing, such as the right to work in the UK, and that they hold the relevant type of driving license and driving experience.

Further information on the requirements for licensing can be found at the following location: www.tfl.gov.uk/info-for/taxis-and-private-hire/licensing

Once a complete application is received an initial assessment takes place to ensure that all the required documents have been provided and the mandatory requirements are met.

The candidate is then invited to apply for a topographical skills assessment. The time taken to complete this depends on a number of factors, including when the applicant contacts us to arrange an assessment, test availability - when and where they sit their assessment and the applicant’s ability to meet the required standard, or whether a retest is required.

Given the variety of applications that we receive we are unable to provide an estimate of the average time taken to process private hire applications.

As of 23 September 2018, we had 996 new private hire driver applications and 1,129 renewal applications awaiting assessment. New applications are currently being processed within ten days of receipt, and renewals within nine days of receipt.

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.

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.

Yours sincerely

Jasmine Howard
FOI Case Officer
Information Governance
Transport For London