Request ID: FOI-1749-2425 Date published: 24 September 2024
You asked
Can I ask what progress you have made with PHV operators misusing the word taxi in their advertising since 2023 - a rudimentary google search this evening shows it is like shooting fish in a barrel.
The FOI submitted in the archive history in 2023 was swerved I see.
I would have though this is something Babatunde is all over in terms of compliance and TfL being fully cognisant of provision in the 1998 PHV Act that prohibits the use of certain terms (including ‘taxi’) by London licensed PHV operators.
Perhaps you can enlighten me on progress to date or do I need to submit a further FOI - to make it easier perhaps Babatunde has data on June to December 2023 or January to June 2024 as I would have thought a quick email by TfL as regulator to remind PHV operators of the relevant clause in the act would be sufficient to make sure their advertising is compliant?
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-1749-2425 Our Taxi and Private Hire team has passed over your request for data of 28th August 2024. Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. Specifically you asked for data from June to December 2023 or January to June 2024 of emails sent by our Compliance, Policing, Operations & Security Directorate (CPOS) to PHV operators to make sure their advertising is compliant with Section 31 of the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998. Colleagues in CPOS have run a report on their database and I can confirm that no Section 31 emails / letters were sent between June to December 2023 or January to June 2024. However, please note that an email / letter is just one of a number of actions that could be taken in response to a potential Section 31 breach. It is also important to recognise that the prohibitions set out in Section 31 only apply to London licensed private hire operators and not, for example, to intermediaries or non-licensed entities that may advertise online. If this is not the information you are looking for 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, David Wells FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
