FOI request detail

TfL Meetings with Ola

Request ID: FOI-2660-1920
Date published: 19 December 2019

You asked

I am requesting information that relates to how TfL sets and monitors the standard of professionalism expected of applicants and holders of PH Operators' licences. In particular I am requesting information about meetings attended by TfL and Ola :- a) Dates of meetings held between Monday 6 May 2019 and Monday 25 November 2019, together with names of attendees. b) Copies of minutes taken or other records made of discussions on what TfL describes as 'public safety issues', 'fit and proper criteria' ; 'record keeping requirements' and 'duration of licence'.

We answered

Our Ref:         FOI-2660-1920

Thank you for your request received on 2 December 2019 asking for information about private hire operator, Ola.
 
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.
 
Within the requested timeframe, our Taxi and Private Hire team have had one meeting with Ola, on 15 October 2019. The attendees from TfL were Simone Oyekanmi and Perry Kissin, and from Ola, Fionn Hart, Andrew Winterton, David Coral, and Karl Lutzow attended.
                                                              
In accordance with the FOI Act, we are not obliged to supply the minutes from this meeting as it is subject to a statutory exemption to the right of access to information under section 31(1)(g), which relates to information where 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, specifically, ‘(2)(c)the purpose of ascertaining whether circumstances which would justify regulatory action in pursuance of any enactment exist or may arise’.
 
In this instance the exemption has been applied as the information is held only for the purposes of ascertaining whether a Private Hire operator is complying with the regulations, in accordance with our responsibility for regulating the private hire trade in London. The exemption applies to protect our ability to clarify and confirm details on specific issues regarding general licensing matters. The prejudice would be caused by disclosure because it would affect our ability to engage with the taxi and private hire trade and would inhibit the free flow of information, particularly where there is disclosure of information about confidential and commercially sensitive data. Effective working between the trade and the regulator relies on a safe space where information can be shared at a sufficiently early stage to avoid the need for formal enforcement action.
 
This benefits the public as it enables greater oversight of private hire operators and better scrutiny of services by the regulator and our benefit because proactive discussion avoids costly enforcement activity, delayed access to information and increased bureaucracy.
 
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 a public interest in understanding the scope of regulatory activity, and whether concerns have been sufficiently addressed. However we feel the balance of the public interest supports the exemption in order to enable the effective and timely sharing of information between ourselves and the taxi and private hire trade.
 
Michael Hurwitz, TfL’s Director of Transport Innovation, also had a meeting with Ola on 12 of July 2019. In attendance were Debbie Walters (TfL), and Ben Legg, Jo Goddard, and Karl Lutzow from Ola. This was an informal meeting about strategy, no notes were taken.
 
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for some reason, please feel free 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
[email protected]

 

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