Freedom of Information request - Taxi driver's gender
Request ID: FOI-2263-2324 Date published: 17 October 2023
You asked
Dear Transport for London,
I would like to request the following information:
Could you share the total number of taxi drivers operating in London, divided between the different taxi companies. I am particularly interested in the digital apps that provide taxi services, such as Uber. For each of these, could you provide the number of drivers for each gender.
Please do not hesitate to contact me should any aspect of my request require clarification.
We answered
TfL Ref: 2263-2324
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 25 September 2023 asking for information about taxi drivers operating in London.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and our information access policy. I can confirm we do hold the information you require. You asked for:
the total number of taxi drivers operating in London, divided between the different taxi companies. I am particularly interested in the digital apps that provide taxi services, such as Uber. For each of these, could you provide the number of drivers for each gender.
We publish various licensing information here which covers the number of drivers and vehicles licensed, as well as driver demographic data and fleet details across the private hire and taxi driver trades.
Private hire operators are required to provide us with details of the drivers and vehicles they have used to fulfil private hire bookings, or have had available to them to fulfil bookings on a weekly basis. However, licensed drivers are permitted to work for or be available to work for more than one operator.
The number of drivers working for a specific operator and the other information you seek as categorised in your request, is exempt from disclosure under sections 41(‘information provided in confidence’), and section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, as disclosure of this information could prejudice the operator’s commercial interests.
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 hire 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 this exemption applies.
Disclosure of this information would also enable rival companies to have an insight into any operator’s business model by allowing them to calculate the size of an operator’s fleet, and thus undermine their position in the competitive market place.
The use of these exemptions are 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 feel that the balance lies in favour of withholding the information to ensure that private hire operators can continue to be able to operate effectively without being placed at a commercial disadvantage. Please refer to the Decision Notice issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office for further details: https://ico.org.uk/media/action-weve-taken/decision-notices/2017/2172517/fs50676040.pdf.
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.
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
Jasmine Howard FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
