TfL licenses one third of all taxis and private hire vehicles across England & Wales

1. Transport for London IATR Conference 2012There’s an App For That - Supporting Taxi Booking and Hailing Applications In LondonJohn Mason, Director, London Taxi and Private Hire

2. 2 London - A unique city • TfL licenses one third of all taxis and private hire vehicles across England & Wales • We are one licensing authority covering 33 local authorities / Boroughs • 25,389 taxi drivers, 65,094 PH drivers; 74,965 vehicles, 3,161 PH operators • 200,000 taxi trips are undertaken every day with a similar number of private hire journeys • London taxis are frequently voted best in the world

3. 3 London - A unique city • TfL sets high standards that are appropriate for London • Significant interest across world in TfL & London standards • Comes with its own challenges - Air Quality, high volumes of licensees, politically active trades, national events, illegal activity • Often first to be approached regarding policies & challenged in terms of regulations

4. What we do.....

5. London Taxi & Private Hire Passengers Under LTPH regulation Customers ` Taxis Also known as “Hackney Carriages” or “black cabs” Private Hire vehicles (PHVs) London Taxi & Private Hire (LTPH) Is a part of TfL, and is the licensing and regulatory authority for both Taxis and PHVs Minicabs Chauffeur/ Executive cars Special purpose vehicles Taxi Drivers Fleet owners PHV Drivers PHV Operators PHV Trade Associations Taxi Driver Associations Police & other agencies Passengers Groups Taxi apps Radio circuits Boroughs Taxi Manufacturers

6. 6 Meeting London’s needs • 100% wheelchair accessible taxi fleet, disability focused • Significant focus on passenger safety • Enhanced background checks for all drivers & led campaign to retain • One strike and you’re out policy on touting • Policies to support the Mayor’s Air Quality Strategy

7. 7 Challenges for street hails in London • Wasted mileage and increased pollution caused by drivers seeking passengers and vice versa • Illegal taxi touting especially at night • Suspicion among drivers and lack of consistency in terms of card acceptance • Card processing fees • Driver refusal of less lucrative work • Customer complaints, lost property processing

8. 8 TfL and Mayor’s Approach to Apps • Mayor of London Air Quality Strategy published in December 2010 introduced 15 year age limit for taxis from 1 Jan 2012 • The strategy also stated: • “The Mayor will also support the development of new • technologies which encourage taxi sharing and enable electronic hailing” • TfL has adopted a “hands off”, very limited regulatory approach to the application of electronic hailing and booking • Many different companies now entering into the London market with varying degree of success

9. 9 Open market and competition

10. 10 TfL Approach To Apps • Light touch regulatory approach / do not seek to duplicate existing laws (i.e. Card processing regulations, mobile phone use in vehicles) • Direct engagement with developers at very early stage • Significant focus on driver identification and validation • Support the take up with drivers through our own engagement with drivers • Let the quality of the product and service provided to passengers dictate market

11. 11 Our experience to date • Hailo and Get Taxi are emerging leading taxi booking apps to date in London • Quality products, excellent ratings on App Store • Est that some 8,000 – 10,000 drivers from 25,000 regularly using booking apps • High emphasis on engaging with TfL at early stage • Essential that robust, continuous, licensed driver validation process established

12. Our experience to date 12 • Emerging evidence that reducing unnecessary “stop” “starts” which contribute to poor air quality • Improve further the quality of service and safety of passengers – reuniting passengers with lost property, providing real time tracking of the “hailed” taxi, taxi driver information such as photograph and contact number • Improved consistency of debit or credit card payments • Clear record of every journey, the driver as well as the passenger details • Providing opportunity for taxi drivers to maximise their earning potential by placing passengers with them quicker

13. 13 Conclusions • Applications are good for taxi trade in London and passengers in general • Despite high level of take up and use no evidence of envisaged problems such as safety issues using smart phones • Passengers embracing and welcoming technology, wont go back to old way of street hails / cash payment • Reducing complaints and lost property processing costs for TfL • Engagement with developers at early stage vital • Robust driver validation process is essential

14. 14 • Thank You • QUESTIONS?