TfL backs government plans for national operator database as cross-border licensing faces fresh scrutiny from the Mayor of London
- Perry Richardson
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Transport for London (TfL) has thrown its support behind the creation of a national database for private hire operators, adding weight to calls for greater oversight of cross-border licensing arrangements across England.
The move follows a written question from Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member Hina Bokhari OBE, who highlighted that private hire companies can hold operator licences issued by different licensing authorities while dispatching bookings through a single branded app. She asked whether TfL maintains records of operators licensed by authorities outside London.
The Mayor’s response confirms that while TfL collects some information about an operator’s licensing history during the application process, there is no national system allowing licensing authorities to monitor operator licences held across the country.
The Mayor said: “As part of the licence application process, TfL asks operator applicants and individuals associated with the operator licence whether they have held a licence in another licensing authority, whether that licence is active, or whether a licence has been revoked, suspended or refused.”
However, he acknowledged the current limitations of the system, adding: “While there is a national database for taxi and private hire driver licence refusals, revocations and suspensions, there is currently no equivalent national database for private hire operator licences or operator licensing decisions.”
The response also addressed how cross-border hiring operates under existing legislation. It states that where a booking is accepted by a TfL licensed operator, “the journey must be carried out by a TfL-licensed private hire driver in a TfL-licensed private hire vehicle”.
Where work is passed to another operator outside London, the same principle applies. The Mayor added: “If that booking is subcontracted to another operator, licensed by another authority, the driver and vehicle the booking is allotted to must also be licensed by that authority.”
Cross-border hiring has become one of the taxi and private hire industry’s most debated issues. Current legislation allows licensed operators to subcontract bookings to operators licensed by different authorities, enabling journeys to be completed outside the area where the original booking was accepted. While the practice is lawful, the variation in licensing standards between authorities has prompted repeated calls for improved regulatory oversight and greater transparency.
The Mayor indicated that TfL believes a national operator database would help address part of that challenge. Referring to recommendations made by the House of Commons Transport Select Committee, he said: “The House of Commons Transport Select Committee has recently recommended the introduction of a national database covering licensed operators which TfL and I would welcome. Enhanced information-sharing arrangements will support effective regulatory oversight across the country.”
That stance will raise eyebrows in the taxi industry because it also shifts attention from the licensing of drivers and vehicles to the operators themselves. Although licensing authorities already share information about driver licence refusals, suspensions and revocations through a national database, no comparable system exists for operators, despite many businesses now operating across multiple licensing jurisdictions through cross-border arrangements.
