Came across the shiny new TfL taxi and private hire driver policy via a Taxi Point article.
Don't know why I even bothered looking, and I won't be going through all 130 pages
But I was wondering what the new section on cycling offences mentioned by Taxi Point was all about (I mean, who's convicted of a cycling offence anyway?
), and couldn't help notice the adjacent stuff in the document about the approach to touting and plying for hire.So for PHDs, touting or plying for hire normally means an instant revocation...
But for HCDs, they might get away with a written warning or suspension for either offence
TfL also says: "Revocation for a first-time conviction may be too
harsh but a period of suspension may be an appropriate option dependent upon
the circumstances."
So it's effectively an automatic revocation for a PHD, but almost certainly a lesser penalty for an HCD.
And the document gives an example of an HCD illegally plying for hire as driving an unlicensed taxi
](./images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall")
(I would have thought picking up a fare out-of-area would be a more obvious example.)
Two-tier justice, much?
It's on pages 56 and 57 here:
https://content.tfl.gov.uk/taxi-and-pri ... policy.pdf