Dear Mr Cirillo

TfL Ref: FOI-2466-2122

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 28
January 2022.

We will aim to issue a response by 24 February 2022 in accordance with the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 and our information access policy.

We publish a substantial range of information on our website on subjects
including operational performance, contracts, expenditure, journey data,
governance and our financial performance. This includes data which is
frequently asked for in FOI requests or other public queries. Please check
[1]http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transpar... to see if this helps you.

We will publish anonymised versions of requests and responses on the
[2]www.tfl.gov.uk website. We will not publish your name and we will send
a copy of the response to you before it is published on our website.

In the meantime, if you would like to discuss this matter further, please
do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely

Eva Hextall

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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Dear Mr Cirillo

TfL Ref: FOI-2466-2122

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 28
January 2022, asking for information about Bus Route 456.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of
the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.  I can
confirm that we hold the information you require. You asked:

I am requesting information on the reason why the fixed bus stop program
did not involve the routing from Clay Hill towards Crews Hill on the 456
route.

We worked closely with the London Borough of Enfield to develop a
programme for installing fixed bus stops for the introduction of route 456
in March 2021. The 456 partly replaced route W10 which previously operated
on a hail-and-ride basis between Clay Hill and Crews Hill. We took the
joint decision with Enfield to retain the hail-and-ride service on this
section as the area consists of low density housing which is well suited
to the existing informal stopping arrangements provided by a hail-and-ride
bus route.

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable
to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to
appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would
like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

Yours sincerely

Eva Hextall

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

show quoted sections

TfL Ref: IRV-071-2122

Thank you for your email which was received by Transport for London (TfL) on 17 February 2022.

You have stated that you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act.

A review will be conducted by an internal review panel in accordance with TfL’s Internal Review Procedure, which is available via the following URL:
https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparenc...

Every effort will be made to provide you with a response by 17 March 2022. However, if the review will not be completed by this date, we will contact you and notify you of the revised response date as soon as possible.

In the meantime, if you would like to discuss this matter further, please feel free to contact me.
Yours sincerely

Emma Flint
Principal Information Access Adviser
FOI Case Management Team
Transport for London

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Dear Mr Cirillo

I am contacting you regarding your request for an internal review
concerning the response provided to FOI-2466-2122. Following your email of
17 February 2022 a review has been carried out by an Independent Review
Panel (‘the Panel’) consisting of individuals who were not involved in the
handling of your request.

In your original request of 28 January you asked the following - " The 456
fixed bus stops program involved introducing or converting sections to
fixed bus stops, this was part of the introduction of the new 456 service.
Beyond Clay Hill, the fixed bus stop program did not continue further
towards Crews Hill. I am requesting information on the reason why the
fixed bus stop program did not involve the routing from Clay Hill towards
Crews Hill on the 456 route.”

Firstly the panel would like to remind you that the Freedom of Information
act is a statutory legislation which enables the general public to request
recorded information from a pubic authority, for example statistical data
/  reports /  email correspondence / policies etc. Requests that ask ‘why’
or ‘please explain’ are not deemed to fall with the FOIA and should be
submitted via our establish customer service team  -
[1][email address]

The panel are aware that you have submitted 7 requests via the What Do
They Know website since the 1 December 2021 (3 month period) and the panel
agree that some of these requests should have been directed to TfL’s
customer Service team  in the first instance and not the FOI Case
Management Team. You have also submitted 4 internal review appeals mostly
with the generic complaint that you think there is more information to
find or “ I don’t believe you”.   

Going forward you should be aware that any further requests you make for
information concerning buses and bus routes may be refused in accordance
with s14 of the FOIA. As explained the Freedom of Information Act allows
you to request recorded information held by Transport for London. However
there are limits on the time that we are required to spend determining
whether we hold the information you are requesting on a regular basis.  

To provide a little more context, section 14 of the FOI Act outlines the
remit whereby a public authority does not have to comply with a ‘vexatious
request’. S14 can be used in a variety of circumstances where a request,
or its impact on a public authority, cannot be justified, however it can
only be applied to the request itself and not the individual who submitted
it and there are no public interest test considerations.  The Freedom of
Information Act was designed to give individuals a greater right of access
to official information with the intention of making public bodies more
transparent and accountable. Whilst most requesters exercise this right
responsibly, a few may misuse or abuse the Act by submitting requests
which are intended to be annoying or disruptive or which have a
disproportionate impact on a public authorities resources. We make
absolutely no suggestion that it is your intention to cause disruption or
misuse the act, however s14 is designed to protect public authorities by
allowing them to refuse a requests which are frivolous with no serious
purpose or any wider pubic value.

Further information on the Information Commissioner’s guidance on section
14 can be found here:
[2]https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisatio...

Going back to your internal review appeal you have stated that “this is
vague information given and more reasoning needs to be provided under this
request more than low density areas”.

As your original request itself was vague and generic where you simply
asked for “information on the reason why the fixed bus stop program did
not involve the routing from Clay Hill towards Crews Hill on the 456
route”,  the panel agree as you required an explanatory response rather
than specific recorded information your enquiry should have been directed
to TfL’s customer service team to response as part of their established
business as usual process, please accept our apologies for any
misunderstanding. 

However that said, we have no further explanation to add in response to
FOI-2466-2122 and conclude that your enquiry was responded to in full and
satisfactorily in accordance with our obligations under the FOIA.

Again please note our customer services contact email is -
[3][email address]  and all requests which require an
explanation regarding an issue you are interested in rather than specific
record data or documentation (such as reports/ emails/ statistics etc)
should be referred to Customer Services in the first instance.

If you are dissatisfied with the internal review actions to date please do
not hesitate to contact me ([4][TfL request email]) or alternately you can
refer the matter to the independent authority responsible for enforcing
the Freedom of Information Act, at the following address:

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire SK9 5AF

A complaint form is also available on the ICO’s website
([5]www.ico.org.uk).

Yours sincerely

Emma Flint

Principal Information Access Adviser

FOI Case Management Team

Transport for London

[6][TfL request email]

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References

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