FollowFollow FollowFollow Mr DM instructed us following the refusal of his first time application for a private hire licence with Transport for London [TfL]. He was refused on the basis of his DBS which had a single conviction for entry for possession of Class A drugs 6 years ago for which he received a fine. We constructed a case to present to the Court that TfL were wrong on both their pre-2021 policy and their new 2022 policy. We argued that the old policy should apply – but even if they disagreed Mr DM was just outside the time frame in the 2022 policy. The Court agreed. They commente ..read more

FollowFollow FollowFollow A brief update on new legislation relating to equality duties and new duty on councils to report “out of town” drivers relating to safety concerns. Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Disabled Persons) Act 2022 On 28 June, the Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Disabled Persons) Act 2022 will take effect in England, Scotland, and Wales.  It will amend the Equality Act 2010 to introduce new, and amend existing, duties for local authorities and taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) drivers and operators alike.  The 2022 Act aims to ensure that disabled people ca ..read more

FollowFollow FollowFollow In December 2021, the High Court has clarified the definition of “plying for hire” in relation to minicabs working for licensed operators. In the case of United Trade Action Group Ltd, R (On the Application Of) v Transport for London (Rev1) [2021] EWHC 3290 (Admin), Lord Justice Males and Mr Justice Fraser were asked to make a declaration on whether, in order to comply with the provisions of the 1998 Act, a licensed operator must accept a contractual obligation to the passenger as a principal to carry out the booking (“the Operator issue”).  Lord Justice Mal ..read more

FollowFollow FollowFollow From 4 April 2022 onwards, there will be a mandatory requirement for licensees (and new applicants) to provide evidence to the council of tax registration.  If you cannot satisfy this requirement, TfL cannot grant you a renewed licence. What you should do before April 2022 Get a Government Gateway user ID and password You will need a Government Gateway user ID and password to complete a tax check, so you should make sure you have one before you need to make your licence application. If you do not have a user ID, you can create one by registering for HMR ..read more

FollowFollow FollowFollow NS instructed us following the decision by TfL to revoke his private hire licence. Their decision was based on the usual reports from UBER. In summary, our client had conducted some work with UBER EATS in order to supplement his UBER income. You do not need a PH licence to work for UBER EATS however they conduct Real Time Driver Identity [RTDI] checks like UBER. On a date in January last year, UBER EATS requested an RTDI be carried out. It failed because the image was a photo and not real time. They ended their partnership with our client. UBER then ended their p ..read more

FollowFollow FollowFollow Our client, HS, approached us because, almost 12 months after an UBER report that he had refused to take a guide dog, TfL decided to revoke his licence. He provided them with a full and clear response. TfL decided not to prosecute him and waited 12 months before deciding to revoke. We lodged an appeal immediately and following presentation to TfL they decided not to contest the appeal and waived their decision. The appeal has now been withdrawn and our client will shortly have his licence returned to him. Disclaimer: This article is for guidance purposes only ..read more

FollowFollow FollowFollow Transport for London (TfL) has announced changes to its Knowledge of London assessment described as “business as usual” changes. Changes It has been reported that the red line policy will be retained, however if a candidate accumulates 4 ‘D’ grades, they will revert back to the beginning of the same stage, as opposed to the start of the previous stage. New time limits to be set for each stage: Stage 3 – 3 years Stage 4 – 2 years Stage 5 – 1 Year At the end of the time limit candidates will be required to attend a meeting with the Knowledge of London manager to ..read more