Minicab Fares
Dear Public Carriage Office,
Are minicab firms allowed to charge by passenger?
Yours faithfully,
James
Dear James
Our Ref: FOI-1824-1516
Thank you for your e-mail received on 24 December 2015 asking for
information about minicabs.
Section 8(1) of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) sets out the
requirements of a valid request for information and states that a request
must, amongst other things, “state the name of the applicant and an
address for correspondence.” As a full name has not been provided we are
unable to treat this as a valid request. If you could please provide your
full name and then we will process your request.
If we hear nothing further from you by 14 January 2016 your response will
be treated as a new request.
In the meantime, if you have any queries or would like to discuss your
request, please feel free to contact me.
Yours sincerely
Graham Hurt
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
References
Visible links
1. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/
James,
Thank you for your email sent on 23 December 2015 regarding fares charged
by private hire operators.
I can advise that Transport for London (TfL) does not have the authority
to regulate the fares of private hire operators and each operator is
permitted to set his own fares. This is a commercial decision for each
individual operator and all fares are set at their own discretion though
passengers can request a quote when booking. The private hire industry in
London contains several diverse types of business and as such it would not
be practical to have a universal fare structure.
There is no reference in the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998 or
associated operator regulations to private hire operators charging fares
‘by passenger’ though Section 11 of the 1985 Transport Act allows for
sharing in PHV’s (and licensed taxis) on condition that passengers have
booked their journeys in advance and consent to sharing the vehicle and
paying separate fares.
Thank you again for contacting TfL.
Regards
Paul Reemer
Driver and Operator Policy Officer
References
Visible links
1. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/
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