New TFL officers hit London streets

TFL’s Taxi and Private Hire Compliance Team which currently has a team of 82 people will be joined by 50 new officers to patrol London Streets.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan announced the 250 positions four months ago, for which they received over 4,800 applications.

The main role of the officers will be to crack down on illegal activity within the capital, undertaking vehicle checks and ensuring that all drivers are licensed and have the correct paper work. They will also be ready to provide the public advice on how to get home safely.

Steve Burton, TfL’s director of Enforcement and On-street Operations advised that the increase of officers will allow them to ‘robustly’ deal with breaches and catch those who are breaking the set laws.

The team will continue to grow with the outlook of summer 2017 seeing more than 300 Compliance Officers which is currently the largest number of Compliance Officers in Mayoral history.

TfL’s existing team have stopped approximately 37,000 black taxis and minicabs since April 2016.

Sadiq Khan added “Every Londoner and visitor to our city must feel safe getting around London. The roll-out of more compliance officers over the coming months will be crucial in driving up standards and ensuring Londoners remain safe”