Mayor reassures London Assembly Member of TfL’s approach to operator compliance amid concerns of ‘loopholes’ exploiting taxi drivers
- Perry Richardson
- 5 minutes ago
- 2 min read
The Mayor of London has reaffirmed Transport for London’s (TfL) strategy for ensuring private hire vehicle (PHV) operators such as Uber comply with licensing rules, following a City Hall question raised over potential regulatory ’loopholes’ disadvantaging London’s black cab trade.
In response to a formal written question from Neil Garratt of the City Hall Conservatives, the Mayor of London said TfL had adopted all relevant Department for Transport statutory standards including those not already in place in the capital. The move forms part of wider efforts to enhance safety and raise standards across the PHV sector.
The mayor confirmed that all PHV operators licensed by TfL must follow existing laws and regulations. Beyond this, specific operators may face bespoke licence conditions, depending on their operational model. These conditions are aimed at strengthening compliance and tailoring oversight where necessary.
Khan also stressed TfL’s role as the licensing authority for the capital, with ongoing compliance checks and continuous monitoring of operator licences to ensure standards are maintained.
Garratt asked the Mayor of London: “What measures do you propose to ensure that PHV companies, like Uber, comply with regulations and do not exploit loopholes at the expense of Black Cab drivers?”
Khan replied: “Transport for London (TfL) has introduced a number of measures to improve safety and standards across the private hire vehicle (PHV) industry in recent years, including implementing all the measures set out in the Department for Transport Statutory Standards which were not already in place in London.
“All licensed private hire operators must comply with the regulations and legislation that are in place. In addition to mandatory licence conditions prescribed by regulations, some PHV operators will be subject to additional bespoke conditions to ensure that regulatory compliance measures are effective and suited to individual operators where appropriate.
“As the licensing authority in London, TfL undertakes compliance checks and keeps all operator licences under review to ensure they continue to meet the standards required for licensing in London.”
