Today’s announcement from Transport for London (TfL) following the Private Hire Regulations Review goes some way to address the issues facing the Taxi and Private Hire trades in London and implement recommendations of the Transport Committee’s Future Proof report.
We are particularly glad to see the inclusion of:
- Formal English language requirements for all private hire drivers;
- New rule that operators must provide a driver photo and vehicle details to passengers before the start of the journey;
- Ensuring passengers can call private hire operators and speak to a real person in the event of problems with their journey;
- Acknowledgement that the proposed five-minute waiting time rule was unworkable, with other measures required to improve passenger safety.
Valerie Shawcross CBE AM, Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee said;
“It is good to see TfL exercising its regulatory muscle, however the length of time it took to recognise the problem in the first place is questionable and the suggested measures have not pleased all the parties involved. Most of the cross-party recommendations we submitted to the Review have been taken on-board.
It should be possible for Licensed Taxis, Private Hire Vehicles and Uber to co-exist harmoniously on London’s streets – but clearly more discussion will be required. In some key areas the Mayor has been forced to ask the Government for further support, and it is far from clear what the outcome of these discussions will be.”
Notes to editors
- Valerie Shawcross CBE AM, Chair of the Transport Committee, is available for interview – see contact details below.
- Read ‘Future Proof’.
- London Assembly Transport Committee.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For media enquiries, please contact Alison Bell on 020 7983 4228. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer. Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.