Please could you supply a report listing all private hire (mini cab) companies in London detailing the PCO License number, the licensee name, registered trading names for each licensee and the number of vehicles or drivers registered against each. I would like to see this data broken down by year for 2019, 2020, 2021.

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TfL Ref: FOI-2013-2021

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 6^th January 2021 asking for information about private hire vehicle companies in London.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. 

Specifically you asked:

“Please could you supply a report listing all private hire (mini cab) companies in London detailing the PCO License number, the licensee name, registered trading names for each licensee and the number of vehicles or drivers registered against each.

I would like to see this data broken down by year for 2019, 2020, 2021.”

I can confirm that we hold the information you require.

A list of all Private Hire Vehicle operators in London showing the licence number, organisation name, and trading name can be found on our website here (if you click the “search” button it will show a list of all operators - the local authority and licence expiry date is also given).

https://tph.tfl.gov.uk/TfL/SearchOperatingCentre.page?org.apache.shale.dialog.DIALOG_NAME=TPHOperatingCentre&Param=lg2.TPHOperatingCentre&menuId=9

It is not entirely clear how you want this information “broken down by year for 2019, 2020 and 2021”. Would this relate to a specific date each year - i.e., on the 1^st of January for each such year - or for a list of any operator licenced to operate at any point during these years (where there will be a large degree of overlap between the datasets). If you could clarify exactly how you envisage this data being presented we can consider further.

In terms of the number of vehicles and drivers each operator has in their fleet / pool, this information is exempt from disclosure under sections 41 (“information provided in confidence”) and 43(2) (“prejudice to commercial interests”) of the FOI Act. In this instance the section 41 exemption has been applied as disclosure of the information you have requested was provided to TfL by a third party (the private operators) in confidence. The information is not in the public domain, and there was not a reasonable expectation that the withheld information would be made public by TfL. Therefore we consider that disclosure would constitute an actionable breach of confidence, the measure by which the exemption applies.

We also consider that the section 43(2) exemption is engaged as disclosure of the number of drivers and vehicles per operator would allow other operators to see data about their competitors’ driver pool and fleet sizes. This would provide an insight into other company’s operations which would be of commercial interest to other operators, potentially to their competitors detriment. As a “qualified” exemption, the use of this exemption is subject to an assessment of the public interest in relation to the disclosure of the information concerned. We recognise the need for openness and transparency by public authorities, but in this instance the section 43(2) exemption has been applied as it would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of private hire operators, and enable their competitors to access useful information about them which would potentially reduce the competitiveness of the private hire market. This could ultimately have a bearing on the value for money private hire vehicle users may expect to achieve from using the service and may overall negatively affect market forces shaping the private hire business in London. Note that an Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) decision in a similar case has previously been taken in our favour, which can be viewed via the following link:

https://ico.org.uk/media/action-weve-taken/decision-notices/2017/2172517/fs50676040.pdf

More general information about the taxi and private hire trade which you may find useful can be found on our website here:

https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/taxis-and-private-hire/

If you are considering submitting a further FOI request please think carefully about whether the request is essential at this current time, as answering FOI requests will require the use of limited resources and the attention of staff who could be supporting other essential activity. Where requests are made, please note that our response time may be impacted by the current situation.

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

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