Response 3543958

Response to request for information

Reference

3543958

Response date

14 August 2024

Request

1. The number of new and renewed taxi (Hackney Carriage) driver licenses you have granted.
2. The number of new and renewed Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) driver licenses you have granted.
3. The number of taxi licences granted to drivers with criminal convictions.
4. The number of PHV licenses granted to drivers with criminal convictions.
5. In the cases of those with convictions in relation to Question 3 and Question 4:
   1. The nature and date of conviction.
   2. Whether said driver’s conviction was known at the time of the licence being approved.
   3. In each case, the current licence status of the driver.

6. The criteria/policy that is applied when deciding on an application from a driver with a current/spent conviction.
7. How many times have you checked the national database on driver revocations/refusals?
8. How many have had licenses removed due to that?

Response

1. The number of new and renewed taxi (Hackney Carriage) driver licenses you have granted.

   We issue a Combine Hackney/Private Hire Driver Licence. From 01/08/2022 and 07/08/2024 RBC has issues 297 Combined Licences.

2. The number of new and renewed Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) driver licenses you have granted.

   We issue a Combine Hackney/Private Hire Driver Licence. From 01/08/2022 and 07/08/2024 RBC has issues 297 Combined Licences.

3. The number of taxi licences granted to drivers with criminal convictions.

   We do not keep a record of convictions in electronic format. This would require an in-depth search and examination of current and past files.

   Each application is taken on its own merits in line with the RBC HC/PH Policy 2020-2025.

4. The number of PHV licenses granted to drivers with criminal convictions. As above in 3.
5. In the cases of those with convictions in relation to Question 3 and Question 4:

   We do not keep a record of convictions in electronic format. This would require an in-depth search and examination of current and past files.

   1. The nature and date of conviction. Not able to extract the information it is not stored electronically and may or may not be kept as part of an application.
   2. Whether said driver’s conviction was known at the time of the licence being approved. This information would have been available through production of a DBS but not through an Update Service Check.
   3. In each case, the current licence status of the driver. Refer to questions 1 & 2.

6. The criteria/policy that is applied when deciding on an application from a driver with a current/spent conviction. This is published in our policy
7. How many times have you checked the national database on driver revocations/refusals?

   The NR3S is checked on each new or renewal application. From the government stats as of 1 April 2024, 186 searches were undertaken.

8. How many have had licenses removed due to that? I take it the applicant means the NR3S check, since 01/08/2022 we have refused 4 drivers in which NR3S checks would have played part of the refusal process.