At Mayor’s question time in November 2017 a question was submitted by Assembly Member David Kurten 2017/4396 Main question David Kurten Have TfL (LTPH) held meetings (if so, how many?) or had correspondence and phone calls with Lyft representatives over the past six months? Answer The Mayor Transport for London's (TfL) Taxi and Private Hire team has not had meetings or phone calls with Lyft representatives within the last six months. There have been two teleconferences and one piece of correspondence between other teams within TfL and Lyft within this timeframe. TfL regularly engages with new technology providers and operators wishing to enter the London market. This is to ensure TfL is best able to fulfil its role as the licensing and regulatory authority for taxi and private hire services in London. Through such engagement TfL is able to outline the regulations and expectations it has for any prospective private hire operator entering the London market. Under the Freedom of information act please provide a copy of the correspondence mentioned, also any subsequent communications/correspondence between LYFT and TPH team

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Dear

Our ref: FOI-4908-1718

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 16 March 2018, asking for a piece of correspondence between TfL and Lyft and communications/correspondence between Transport for London's (TfL) Taxi and Private Hire department and Lyft. Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding.

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 hold some of the information you require.

The attached email thread provides the correspondence referred to in the answer given by the Mayor to question 2017/4396. No notes were taken of the teleconference that Leon Daniels had with Lyft, which was simply an opportunity for Leon Daniels to explain the Mayor of London’s then recently published draft Transport Strategy and to understand at a high level Lyft’s plans for London.

There has been no correspondence between TPH and Lyft in the period since the Mayor’s question was answered.

Under section 43(2) we are not obliged to supply some of the information in the email thread, as disclosure of this information is likely to prejudice the commercial interests of Lyft if it is disclosed to the wider public, which would include business competitors.

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 openness and transparency. However we feel that there is a greater public interest in ensuring that companies are able to compete fairly and the balance of the public interest supports the exemption.

Furthermore, in accordance with TfL’s obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) some personal data has been removed, as required by section 40(2) of the FOI Act. This is because disclosure of this personal data would be a breach of the DPA, specifically the first principle of the DPA which requires all processing of personal data to be fair and lawful. It would not be fair to disclose this personal information when the individuals have no expectation it would be disclosed and TfL has not satisfied one of the conditions of Schedule 2 of the Data Protection Act which would make the processing ‘fair’.

This exemption to the right of access to information is an absolute exemption and not subject to an assessment of whether the public interest favours use of the exemption.

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for some reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

Yours sincerely

Eva Hextall

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

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