Request ID: FOI-2423-2324 Date published: 07 November 2023
You asked
I hope this email finds you well. I am writing under the Freedom Of Information Act 2000 to ask for data on the number of complaints TfL has received about Ulez charges on vehicles that were being transported on tow trucks or recovery vehicles.
I would like to know how many times TfL was contacted to challenge a charge or fine where the customer cited that the vehicle was on the back of another. It would also be good to know how many of these complaints led to the charge or fine being overturned.
I would like this data for the years since the Ulez scheme was introduced, broken down by year.
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-2423-2324
Thank you for your request received on 11 October 2023 asking for information about contested Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) penalty charge notices (PCNs).
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.
Unfortunately, to provide the information you have requested 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 at this level of specificity and so we do not have any way of reporting on these complaints. Similarly this is not one of the recognised grounds for representation in challenge of a PCN and therefore we would have to review every representation in order to identify and extract the information you have requested. Please note that we will only issue a PCN when we have verified that the vehicle has committed a contravention so any instances where this would have occurred will have been spotted before a PCN was issued.
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. If you want to refine your request or make a FOI Act request in future, please bear in mind that the FOI 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, specifying the types of document that you are looking for.
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 note that we will not be taking further action until we receive your revised request.
In the meantime, if you have any queries or would like to discuss your request, please do not hesitate to contact me.
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
