EIR - Hydrogen bus manufacturers [Dec 2022]

Your request

Can I request to see the Mayor’s communications with Electric and Hydrogen Bus manufacturers named Irizar, Arrival, Alexander Dennis, BYD, Equipmake, Optare, Switch Mobility, Volvo, Ryze Hydrogen, Wrightbus and Bamford Bus Company from 1 December 2021 to present day under current Mayor Sadiq Khan.

Our response

Please find attached the information the GLA holds within the scope of your request.

Some of the content within the incoming correspondence from Wrightbus is being withheld as it falls under the exception in Regulation (5)(e) (confidentiality of commercial or industrial information) of the EIR.

The purpose of this exception is to protect any legitimate economic interests underlying commercial confidentiality. In this case the redacted content relates to sales and costs. This information is commercial in nature because it relates to the per-unit prices. The information is not trivial, nor in the public domain and was provided to the GLA on a confidential basis and therefore protected by the common law of confidence. Disclosure of this information would prejudice the ability of Wrightbus to achieve best value for money in future negotiations. The confidentiality of this information is therefore required to protect the legitimate economic interests of Wrightbus because disclosure could affect their negotiating position and ability to operate an effective sales process.

In applying this exception, we have had to balance the public interest in withholding the information against the public interest in disclosing the information. We acknowledge that there is a general public interest in transparency in relation to high level communications between the public and private sector with regards to transport related matters. Providing detailed information held by public authorities is in keeping with the Government’s
transparency agenda and promotes accountability and greater public participation. However, on balance, we consider that it is not in the public interest for the GLA to release information that would prejudice the commercial interests of a third-party.

If you have any further questions relating to this matter, please contact us, quoting reference MGLA221122-3747.