TfL Ref: FOI-2291-1617

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 20 February 2017 asking for information about complaints.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm we do hold the information you require.

Please see the table below showing the number of complaints recorded against London Underground Train Operators. Please note that these are recorded under the category “Complaints – Driver/Operator”. We do not have any further drilled down data to be able to provide reasons for the complaints. To supply this information we would need to read through each of these complaints and compile a list.

We put customers at the heart of everything we do and value every piece of feedback we receive. We treat all complaints seriously and work to ensure that the service we offer meets the standards that we expect and that our customers deserve.

Please note that there are approximately 1.35billion passenger journeys per year on the London Underground, and passenger numbers and services continue to grow:

In relation to complaints about Tram drivers, information relating to the number of complaints is exempt from disclosure as it is subject to a statutory exemption to the right of access to information under Section 31(1)(g) of the FOI Act, which relates to information whose disclosure would be likely to prejudice the exercise by any public authority of its functions for any of the purposes listed in subsection 31(2) of the FOI Act. In this instance, the relevant purposes are 31(2)(c) ‘the purpose of ascertaining whether circumstances which would justify regulatory action in pursuance of any enactment exist or may arise’; 2(e), ‘the purpose of ascertaining the cause of an accident’;  2(i) ‘the purpose of securing the health, safety and welfare of persons at work’ and 2(j) ‘the purpose of protecting persons other than persons at work against risk to health or safety arising out of or in connection with the actions of persons at work’. The public authorities concerned are the RAIB, the British Transport Police (BTP), the Office of Road and Rail (ORR) and ourselves, all of whom are currently conducting investigations into the incident of 9 November.

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 that there is considerable public interest in the safe operation of the tram network and, in particular, in the events of 9 November and the factors that may have contributed to the incident. We recognise that transparency and public access to information will help satisfy that interest. At the same time we consider that this public interest will be largely met by the RAIB, who will publish a report on completion of their investigation and have already published two interim reports, and through the final, public, outcome of the investigations by the ORR and BTP.

The publication of information that is under consideration by the investigators, and which may contribute to speculation about the causes of the crash, would be likely to prejudice the timely conclusion of those investigations and any proceedings that may arise from them. On balance, and taking into account the fact that all three external investigations are at an early stage and remain live, we consider that the public interest supports the application of the exemption in this case.

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

Lee Hill

Senior FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London