Part 2 Proposals

Part 2 of our consultation is seeking views on what further measures we might consider to improve the safety of taxi passengers:

• We would like views on how we can reduce the risk of unlicensed vehicles or drivers carrying passengers in London.
• We would like to understand how we can best enable taxi passengers to quickly and easily reassure themselves that any taxi vehicle or driver seeking to carry passengers is appropriately licensed before the passenger enters the vehicle.

We have been exploring a number of ideas to deliver on this aim which are still under consideration. However we are not consulting on any specific proposals at this time. Instead, we would like your ideas on how we can ensure only licensed taxi drivers and licensed vehicles are operating in London. We will use the feedback received from this consultation to determine whether we develop proposals in this area.

What is currently in place?

So as to assist in considering any additional measures, it is helpful to understand what is currently in place. London taxi drivers must wear their metal badge while working which displays their badge number and indicates whether they are an All London or Suburban driver. Below is an All London taxi driver’s badge and a Suburban taxi driver’s badge.

Taxi drivers are also currently required to carry with them the copy version of their taxi driver’s licence, which contains their photo, but this is not displayed or visible to passengers.

Taxi drivers are also required to display taxi driver licence identifiers in the front and rear windscreens of their taxis which display the driver’s badge number and licence area. Below is an All London taxi driver licence identifier and a Suburban taxi driver licence identifier.

At present, there is no electronic means for a passenger to be able to check whether a taxi driver or vehicle is licensed with TfL. Passengers would need to call TfL to be able to obtain this information. This differs from private hire services where drivers and vehicles can be checked easily and quickly using our online PHV licence checker.

We’re interested in your views.

What else do you think we could do that would help taxi passengers to:

• Quickly and easily check that any taxi vehicle or driver is licensed
• Be able to check details before they enter the vehicle