Hundreds of taxi & private hire compliance officers available for deployment says Sadiq Khan
Updated: Aug 10, 2021
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has confirmed that the capital's transport authority Transport for London (TfL) have up to 225 specially trained officers available for deployment to cover taxi and private hire compliance operations.
Speaking during Mayor's Question Time, Khan responded to Keith Prince of the Conservative Party's question: "Can the Mayor provide the most up-to-date number of how many dedicated taxi and private hire compliance officers TfL currently employs?"
Khan said: "Transport for London implemented a new structure in 2019 that brought together up to 420 multi-skilled, on-street officers to support a range of activities across the transport network.
"TfL uses intelligence-led deployments to ensure there are enough resources to support operational demand, including taxi and private hire compliance operations.
"Up to 225 specially trained officers can be deployed to support roads and vehicles activities, which includes Taxi and Private Hire (TPH) compliance operations.
"However, the new structure means TfL can respond to increased demand and draw upon the wider team should it need to deploy additional officers in support of TPH compliance operations."
Compliance officers are deployed by licensing authorities all around the UK to enforce taxi and private hire regulations to ensure the safety of the public as well as that of the drivers working within the industry.
Officers would normally check the condition of the vehicles being used, such as tyres, lights and taxi/private hire licence plates.
Drivers will also have routine checks undertaken to ensure they are meeting regulations including having an up-to-date licence.
