Number of Taxi drivers required an addition Driving test
Request ID: FOI-4319-1718
Date published: 26 February 2018
You asked
Please can you supply the number of Taxi drivers who have had to sit an additional driving test to continue their employment as a Taxi driver from 01/01/2017 until 01/11/2017
We answered
Our ref: FOI-4319-1718
Thank you for your email received on 30 January 2018 asking for information regarding additional driving assessments undertaken as part of our medical requirements for taxi drivers.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our Information Access Policy. I can confirm that we hold the information you require. You asked:
“Please can you supply the number of Taxi drivers who have had to sit an additional driving test to continue their employment as a Taxi driver from 01/01/2017 until 01/11/2017”
To ensure the safety of the travelling public we need to be satisfied that all licensed London taxi and private hire drivers are medically fit. This means ensuring that they meet DVLA Group 2 medical standards on fitness to drive.
In most cases this means that applicants will be required to undergo a medical examination with a GP. However, in certain cases further specialist medical examinations may be required. These further tests may include an additional driving assessment to ensure that the applicant meets the required standards of medical fitness.
We are unable to provide you with details of the number of these assessments as medical requests sent to taxi drivers are recorded on the applicants individual record under a generic document type. Between January and November 2017, we have identified approximately 2,640 documents which contain requests for further medical information as part of the licensing process. A number of these will contain requests for an additional driving assessment.
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, as we would have to manually check 2,640 individual electronic records.
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.
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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