TfL goodwill payments for licensing delays top 16,500 as Mayor faces pressure over private hire driver backlog compensation
- Perry Richardson
- 3 minutes ago
- 2 min read
More than 16,500 private hire drivers have now received goodwill payments from Transport for London (TfL) following the licensing backlog that left thousands of drivers facing lengthy delays, according to the Mayor of London.
Speaking at Mayor’s Question Time, Sir Sadiq Khan confirmed that TfL has issued 16,584 goodwill payments under the authority’s Goodwill Payment Scheme, introduced earlier this year in response to widespread criticism over delays affecting private hire driver licence renewals and new applications.
The exchange came after Liberal Democrat Assembly Member Hina Bokhari challenged the Mayor over whether TfL’s licensing problems had genuinely been resolved and whether the level of financial support offered to affected drivers was adequate given the impact on livelihoods.
Khan defended TfL’s efforts to tackle the backlog, saying: “The other good news is that there have been more than 16,000 goodwill payments issued to those who did not receive the service they deserve.”
However, Bokhari questioned both the scale of the payments and the Mayor’s characterisation of the situation as having been stabilised. She requested detailed figures on the number of drivers affected, those paid, those still waiting and the total amount distributed.
The Mayor responded by outlining progress made in reducing outstanding applications. He said that in the previous six months TfL had cut the number of new private hire applications awaiting action from 10,500 to 5,900. He added that applicants awaiting initial assessments had fallen from 2,000 to 600, while those who had completed mandatory assessments and were waiting for final reviews had reduced from 4,500 to 700.
The discussion then shifted to whether the goodwill payments, widely understood to be around £300 in many cases, reflected the financial hardship experienced by drivers unable to work while waiting for licensing decisions.
Bokhari said: “Considering the hell that PHV drivers have been going through, the loss of income, the rising debts, vehicle costs, the severe stress, is £300 really good enough to compensate them over what they have been going through?”
Khan rejected the suggestion that the scheme was intended to compensate drivers for lost earnings. He said: “It is not intended to provide compensation to drivers for any losses they may have incurred, and putting the scheme in place does not mean TfL is accepting any liability where losses have occurred.”
The Mayor repeatedly stressed that the payments were an exceptional measure. “To date, as I have said, TfL has issued 16,584 goodwill payments,” he told the Assembly, adding that the figure could increase slightly as final payments continue to be processed.
As pressure mounted, Khan acknowledged shortcomings in the service provided. He said: “The service these drivers received was not good enough, which is one of the reasons why, in exceptional circumstances, TfL agreed to give this compensation.”
However, he maintained that the payments should not be viewed as reimbursement for financial losses. “It in no way goes to us compensating drivers for the financial losses they have suffered,” he said.
The exchange highlights continuing frustration among sections of London’s private hire industry despite improvements in processing times. While TfL says significant progress has been made in reducing application backlogs, questions remain over whether the goodwill payments sufficiently recognise the economic impact experienced by drivers during the prolonged delays.
