Mayor of London reveals over 700 temporary private hire driver licences issued after TfL technical failure
- Perry Richardson
- 10 minutes ago
- 1 min read
A total of 765 temporary Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) driver licences were issued by Transport for London (TfL) following a technical issue that disrupted the authority’s licensing systems in April this year.
The temporary three-month licences were granted where TfL was satisfied that drivers had met the “fit and proper” criteria and submitted all necessary documentation. These short-term licences were only issued where there were no outstanding medical or background issues requiring further checks.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, confirmed the figures in response to a written question from London Assembly Member Hina Bokhari OBE.
Among London boroughs, Ealing saw the highest number of temporary licences granted, with 42 issued. Newham followed with 38, and Brent and Harrow recorded 34 each. By contrast, only 4 licences were issued in Kingston upon Thames, and none in the City of London.
TfL also issued 148 temporary licences to drivers with registered addresses outside Greater London.
The technical issue in April had delayed the normal processing of licence applications, prompting TfL to act to ensure that qualified drivers could continue working without interruption, while still maintaining safety standards.
TfL has stated that the figures are accurate as of 14 May 2025 but remain subject to change as the licensing system stabilises.
