Transport for LondonTaxi and Private Hire Licensing
What personal details are held about customers applying for, or renewing, a taxi or private hire licence?
- Name
- Address
- Date of birth
- Telephone number and email address (if supplied)
- DVLA or driving licence
- Photographs
- Referees' details
- Certificate of good conduct (where required)
- Proof of identification
- Proof of right to work in UK
- Topographical Skills Assessment certificate
- Records from the Knowledge of London assessments and tests
- Completed medical forms and any supporting medical information from GPs or specialists
- Vehicle registrations
- Outcomes of Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks
- Details of traffic offences
- Complaints made about drivers or operators
How long will TfL keep these personal details?
TfL will be reducing the retention period to seven years by the end of the financial year 2010-11. At present, information about private hire operator and taxi and private hire driver licensees is held for the duration they are licensed plus 20 years once the company or person stops being licensed.
The retention period for personal data relating to taxi and private hire vehicles (ie vehicle registration marks and details of registered keepers) is seven years after a vehicle stops being licensed.
How can applicants/drivers access their personal data held by TfL in relation to their licence?
You can submit a subject access request for a copy of your full file (there is a £10 fee), however if you need a copy of a specific document, we may be able to provide this for free upon receipt of a written request. To request personal data held by TfL Taxi and Private Hire, please write to:
Licensing Support Team
Transport for London - Taxi and Private Hire
Palestra
197 Blackfriars Road
Southwark
London SE1 8NJ
Subject access request form (PDF 48KB)
Does TfL share any licensing information with third parties?
Yes, but only in very limited circumstances. We share licensing information with our subsidiaries and service providers for the purposes of administration and licensing, including vehicle inspections.
At our discretion, we may disclose personal data in response to valid requests from the police, other law enforcement agencies, solicitors and local authorities for prevention and detection of crime purposes. This is permitted by the Data Protection Act (DPA).
We may also disclose personal data if required to do so by law, for example to the Audit Commission in relation to the National Fraud Initiative. The DPA allows us to do this where the request is supported by evidence of the relevant legislation which requires the disclosure, or a court order.
Some information will also be made available on the public registers and the online 'Check a licence' service.
Your name and contact details may be disclosed to external research companies conducting research amongst licensees on TfL's behalf, as described in the Privacy Notice below. We won't share any data with external companies for market research purposes.
Taxi and Private Hire Applications Privacy Notice
Transport for London (TfL), its subsidiaries and service providers will use your personal information (including any references to your health, ethnic origin, nationality, or previous criminal convictions), for the purpose of assessing your application, administering the licensing regime, and equal opportunities monitoring. Your personal information will be properly safeguarded and processed in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998.
Your name, badge/licence number and the status, start/expiry date of your licence may be made available on request or on a register for public inspection. If you have licensed a vehicle, the vehicle registration mark, licence number and expiry date may also be made available in the same way.
Information obtained by the police about taxi/private hire-related criminal offences may be disclosed to TfL and used by TfL to refuse, suspend or revoke a taxi or private hire driver, operator or vehicle licence. TfL may inform the police of any decision to refuse, suspend or revoke a licence and information about drivers whose licence has been revoked following a conviction for touting may be published on the TfL website for a period of up to 11 months. In certain circumstances, TfL may also share your personal information with the police and other law enforcement agencies for the purposes of the prevention or detection of crime.
Your name and contact details may be disclosed to an external research company to conduct research amongst licensees on TfL's behalf. This research will be related to TfL's responsibilities for licensing, regulation, and integration between taxis/private hire services and other elements of the transport system. Your details will not be used for any marketing or other research activities.
