Richard's Good News Story of the Week concerns helping a gentleman out with his private hire driving licence.
"Mr C from Basildon got in touch with me regarding his private hire driver licence that he applied for through Transport for London.
He submitted his application towards the end of 2023 and had not heard for over a year and a half about its progress! He contacted me for help as he had waited patiently for an unbelievable amount of time.
Despite submitting his application and the requested documents, he still had not heard back from TfL. I then contacted them *three times* to no answer.
In the end, I had to write to ministers to get this moving, who were sadly unhelpful and suggested it’s simply a matter for the local transport authority and the Mayor of London – and we all know where contacting him would get us!
After continuing to badger TfL, I was - finally - able to get a response and find out what the hold up was for Mr C. I relayed this information and helped pass on some minor bits TfL said they needed.
I’m very happy to say that, after a further bit of to and fro with TfL, they finally reviewed his application and granted his licence. This means Mr C is finally able to work and make a living with his private hire licence.
It’s absolutely right that, for passenger safety, TfL checks each individual application, but waiting nearly two years is bonkers as it’s preventing another taxi from our roads and keeps another person out of work.
I’m very glad Mr C’s case is now resolved - we might have been able to get him his license even sooner if he’s come to me a bit earlier. So, if you’re facing a delay with the system and you have no idea what the hold up is, then please get in touch with me through my website: www.richardholden.org.uk/contact and my team and I will do our best to help find out what the situation is and get it moving.
We won’t win every case but my team and I will always do our best for you."
