Our Ref:         FOI-3591-1819

Thank you for your request received on 28 March 2019 asking for information about on foot patrols and checks on private hire vehicles (PHVs) and taxis.

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.

A compliance check is an inspection of the vehicle and a check on driver credentials as well as documents.

The below table provides a breakdown of both driver and vehicle inspections per year, separated between taxi and private hire checks.
Inspection type 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019* Total
Private Hire 1,971 1,975 4,550 58,944 304,572 301,975 37,572 741,599
Taxi 2,424 3,591 2,757 29,397 80,765 19,284 4,982 143,200
Total  4,395 5,566 7,307 88,341 385,337 321,259 72,554 884,759
*1 January to 31 March

Please note that the increase in 2017 and 2018 is due to the recruitment of compliance officers which started in late 2016 and was completed by September 2017. As the recruitment was phased and included training periods, the number of inspections increased in line with this. The decrease in 2018 was a result of all officers having to be trained on taxi offences during 2017. In 2018, once training was completed, the balance of checks between the two trades was reverted to being proportionate in accordance with our tasking and deployment processes.

If this is not the information you are looking for 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]