Two new taxi and PHV licensing sites make up final FIVE TfL inspection sites offered to trade

Two new Transport for London (TfL) taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) inspection sites at Rainham and Sidcup are now open for online bookings.

With these new sites, there are now a total of five locations for drivers to choose from, spread out geographically across Greater London.

The regulator says the five sites will have the same total inspection capacity as the previous six. The new sites will both have a full range of facilities for drivers, including hot and cold drink vending machines, snack vending machines, toilets, parking facilities and electric charging points, with the exact details to be confirmed by TfL.

The Sidcup and Rainham sites will not open for inspections until the end of February, but they can now be booked online.

Steve McNamara, Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA), said in TAXI Newspaper: “The two new taxi vehicle inspection sites opening at the end of February, at Sidcup and Rainham, are state-of-the-art with more facilities for drivers.

“There will now only be five sites overall instead of six, but the capacity will remain the same. Hopefully these new sites will be a bit more efficient, so we don’t see backlogs building up again.

“Incidentally, as with so many things, we were able to assist lots of members who were caught up in that, ensuring that they got their appointments and their vehicles licensed.

“Even during the worst of the pre-Christmas back log, it was infinitely better than the old system under the Public Carriage Office in Penton Street. One of the great mis-remembered myths of the cab trade is the affection for the old days at Penton Street. I recently had a conversation with one of my peers from the days on the Knowledge. “You knew where you stood then, our standards were higher then,” he said. I remember it very differently.”

The five sites are located as follows:

Enfield

Address: Unit 2, Watermill Business Centre, Edison Road, Enfield, London, EN3 7XF What3Words: ///tribal.bleat. ruler

Heston

Address: NSL Inspection Centre, Unit 20a, Airlinks, Spitfire Way, Heston, TW5 9NR

What3Words: ///fault.bike. commented

Staples Corner

Address: Unit 2 Aquarius Business Park, Priestley Way, Staples Corner, London, NW2 7AN What3Words: ///record.venue. from

Rainham

Address: Unit 10 Segro Park, Rainham, RM13 8HY What3Words: ///diner.waving. bind

Sidcup

Address: Unit 13 & 14, Klinger Industrial Park, Edgington Way, Sidcup, DA14 5AF What3Words: ///muddy.clip. forget