Request ID: FOI-2064-2223 Date published: 19 December 2022
You asked
Since 20/12/21 please can you inform me, how many
(1) Private hire drivers
(2) Taxi drivers
have reached 12 DVLA points on their driving licence (under totting up as highlighted in the taxi and ph driver policy).
And of those numbers, how many received a DVLA driving ban
And how many successfully pleaded exceptional hardship and received (1) a TfL suspension (2) are under consideration for a suspension.
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-2064-2223 / FOI-2094-2223
Thank you for your requests received on 22 and 24 November 2022 asking for information about the DVLA points on the licences of private hire vehicle (PHV) and taxi drivers.
Your requests have been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.
I can confirm we hold some of the information you require. You asked for:
FOI-2064-2223
Since 20/12/21 please can you inform me, how many
(1) Private hire drivers (2) Taxi drivers
have reached 12 DVLA points on their driving licence (under totting up as highlighted in the taxi and ph driver policy).
And of those numbers, how many received a DVLA driving ban
Whilst TfL may hold some information about penalty points that have been applied to licensees DVLA’s driver licence, complete and accurate details will be held by the DVLA or the Courts.
Further information on the licensing requirements for taxi and PHV drivers can be found on our website here: https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/taxis-and-private-hire/licensing/apply-for-a-taxi-driver-licence and here: https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/taxis-and-private-hire/licensing/private-hire-driver-licence.
And how many successfully pleaded exceptional hardship and received (1) a TfL suspension (2) are under consideration for a suspension.
Information on whether a licensee pleaded exception hardship before the Magistrates Court would be held by the Courts.
FOI-2094-2223
Since 20/12/22 how many licensed taxi drivers (that TfL are aware) have received 6 DVLA points for a handheld driving offence. Of that number how many have received
If costs permit please provide the same information for Private Hire drivers
Unfortunately, to provide the information you have requested about suspension of taxi or PHV drivers’ licences would exceed the ‘appropriate limit’ of £450 set by the Freedom of Information (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004.
Under section 12 of the FOI Act, we are not obliged to comply with a request if we estimate that the cost of determining whether we hold the information, locating and retrieving it and extracting it from other information would exceed the appropriate limit. This is calculated at £25 per hour for every hour spent on the activities described.
We have estimated that it would cost over £450 to provide a response to your current request. This is because it is estimated that it would take in excess of 18 working hours to retrieve and compile the information you have requested.
This information is not recorded in a way that allows for the requested information to be easily extracted. As stated above, complete and accurate details regarding how many points are on a drivers’ licence will be held by the DVLA or the Courts. We would only be able to provide information on those drivers whom we hold this information on. We would then need to manually review each of the driver files for those drivers who have had their licence revoked, suspended, issued a warning, or are awaiting a licensing decision.
To help bring the cost of responding to your request within the £450 limit, you may wish to consider narrowing its scope so that we can more easily locate, retrieve and extract the information you are seeking. For example, you may wish to narrow the timeframe of your request.
If you want to refine your request or make a Freedom of Information Act request in future, please bear in mind that the Freedom of Information Act allows you to request recorded information held by us. You should identify the information that you want as clearly and concisely as you can.
Although your request can take the form of a question, rather than a request for specific documents, we do not have to answer your question if it would require the creation of new information or the provision of a judgement, explanation, advice or opinion that was not already recorded at the time of your request.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely
Gemma Jacob Senior FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
