FOI request detail

PCO License Suspensions

Request ID: FOI-3086-2223
Date published: 20 March 2023

You asked

Hello, I would like to know the below; 1. How many PCO licenses have been taken away from drivers in the last 10 years owing to driver conduct with passengers over the last 10 years. 2. How does Tfl substantiate an allegation against drivers made by passengers particularly with new huge operators such as Uber, Bolt and Free Now who offer a claim culture, encouraging complaints. 3. What safety provisions does Tfl provide for PCO drivers other than the standard in app safety protocols provided by these new operators.

We answered

Our ref: FOI-3086-2223/GH

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 21 February 2023 asking for information about TPH License Suspensions.

Your request has been considered under the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and our information access policy. I can confirm that we do hold some of the information you require.

I can confirm that we do hold the information you require. However, 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 requests 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. In this instance, we estimate that the time required to answer your request would exceed 18 hours which, at £25 per hour (the rate stipulated by the Regulations), exceeds the ‘appropriate limit’.

Your first question asks: How many PCO licenses have been taken away from drivers in the last 10 years owing to driver conduct with passengers over the last 10 years.

Since 2013, over 5,500 Private Hire driver licences have been revoked. We do not hold a specific category for reporting ‘driver conduct with passengers’ as the specific reason, and therefore would need to manually check each of these to compile an accurate number.

To help bring the cost of responding to your requests within the £450 limit, you may wish to consider refining your requests to concentrate on matters which are important to you.

Although your request can take the form of a question, rather than a request for specific documents, TfL does 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. If you have specific questions relating to these topics we may be more easily able to respond to these than to a request for any information held.

If you are not satisfied with this response please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

Yours sincerely

Graham Hurt
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London

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