FOI request (FOIR-391747825)

Waits for taxi driver licensing appeals to be heard

Requested Mon 10 January 2022
Responded Wed 16 February 2022

Please could I request the following information under FOI?

For each of the last five financial years, including as much of 2021/22 as you have data for:

1. How many hackney carriage/private hire drivers' licenses did you revoke?

2. How many did you suspend?

3. In how many of the cases in (1) and (2) did the driver choose to appeal to the magistrates court?

4. In how many of those cases was the driver permitted to continue driving a taxi/PHV pending the outcome of that appeal?

5. Of the cases in (4) where the driver was allowed to continue driving pending the appeal:

a. What was the mean waiting time from the appeal being lodged to the magistrate taking the final decision?

b. What was the longest individual wait time from appeal to decision?

c. How many such appeals took longer than a year to decide?

d. How many are still outstanding?

To be clear, in Q5, please do not include cases where the driver was not permitted to continue driving while waiting for the appeal to be heard.

Response

1. How many hackney carriage/private hire drivers' licenses did you revoke?

The Environment and Safety Committee made the following decisions:

2021-22 - zero revocations so far

2020-21 - zero revocations

2019-20 - zero revocations

2018-19 - zero revocations

2. How many did you suspend?

The Environment and Safety Committee made the following decisions:

2021-22 - zero suspensions so far

2020-21 - two suspensions

2019-20 - two suspensions

2018-19 - one suspension

2017-18 - one suspension

In how many of the cases in (1) and (2) did the driver choose to appeal to the magistrates court?

4. In how many of those cases was the driver permitted to continue driving a taxi/PHV pending the outcome of that appeal?

Information not held

5. Of the cases in (4) where the driver was allowed to continue driving pending the appeal:

a. What was the mean waiting time from the appeal being lodged to the magistrate taking the final decision?

Information not held

b. What was the longest individual wait time from appeal to decision?

Information not held

c. How many such appeals took longer than a year to decide?

Information not held

d. How many are still outstanding?

There are no outstanding appeals relating to taxi driver licences.