CONFIDENTIAL 
Private Hire Vehicles in Royal Parks  
 
Wednesday 3 January 2007, 4-5pm 
(at The Old Police Station, Hyde Park) 
 
Royal Parks:  
 
Mark Camley, Colin Butterey, David McLaren   
Public Carriage Office: 
Luke Howard, Ed Thompson 
 
Notes 
 
1.  The purpose was to review the position on PHVs using Royal Parks.  PCO view is that so 
long PHVs are able to use RP roads without attracting penalties there is no issue.  We’ve 
had only one complaint from the trade in the last year. 
 
2.  RP view is that they would prefer to keep an informal exemption for licensed PHVs 
rather than try to formalize it and risk a flood of requests from other ‘commercial’ traffic 
categories.  Increases in traffic have adverse safety, environmental and road maintenance 
impacts. 
 
3.  The case in Bushey Park (police officer warned a PHV carrying a passenger on a regular 
run that the driver could receive a penalty) was something of an aberration.  RP police 
should not be ticketing vehicles.  Occasionally new officers might not know the drill. 
 
4.  The case of the Imperial College contract (PH operators on north side of Hyde Park could 
not put in a realistic bid if they could be assured of using the short route through the Park) 
is more difficult, as RP could not necessarily give a guarantee of long term exemption.   
 
5.  PHV operator branding is likely to be rear of vehicle only.  RP do not see this as 
presenting a new problem, as they believe copycat behaviour and/or complaints from 
‘commercial’ drivers would be low. 
 
6.  They’d prefer not to have the more unusual licensed vehicles, eg Pedicabs (or Tuc Tucs if 
they were ever licensed in London), on Park roads.  They responded to our Pedicab 
consultation.   
 
7.  They weren’t aware of PHV operators with unusual liveries, eg Blueback, Green 
Tomatoes. 
 
8.  PCO will inform RP of any changes in rules which affect PHV branding or the licensing 
of non-standard vehicles, and of any major publicity campaign for private hire services 
(likely later this year once driver licensing is complete).   
 
 
 
PCO 
 
9.  RP will consider their policy response if changes become necessary. 
 
RP 
10. Agreed to meet again in September. 
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