PROTEST PLIGHT
PROTESTS AT TfL BOARD MEETING AFTER PH DRIVER DIED AMID LICENSING BACKLOG CHAOS
A TfL board meeting chaired by Mayor Sadiq Khan was dramat- ically suspended on 11 June as protesters confronted officials over a crippling licensing backlog that has left hundreds of private hire drivers unable to work. The demonstration followed the tragic death of long-serving driver Robert Dale, 65, who suffered a fatal heart attack last November after months of stress and financial hardship due to TfL’s delay in renewing his licence. Protesters in the public gallery repeatedly called on Mayor Khan to “remember Rob Dale,” asserting that Mr. Dale “had a heart attack due to the licence delay.” One protester, escorted out by security, accused TfL of “exploiting” minicab drivers and displaying “double standards” compared to black cab drivers. Mr. Dale, a married father of two, submitted his licence
renewal
application in August ahead of its October expiry. His family states that TfL’s
three-month delay
rendered him “anxious, highly stressed, hopeless and fearful.” In a desperate email on October 28, he wrote: “Now I cannot earn a living, can’t pay my bills, can’t buy food - you as an organisation should be ashamed of yourself.” He collapsed and died on November 10; his new licence arrived on November 27. TfL Commissioner Andy Lord and COO Claire Mann, offered personal apologies at the board meeting for the delays. Mr. Dale’s son, Ben, and his family, backed by the IWGB, are demanding TfL formally acknow- ledges the delays as a “significant
22
contributory factor” in his death. They also seek a guaranteed right for PH drivers to have their licences automatically renewed on an emergency basis if processing delays occur. Ben Dale’s letter to the Mr. Khan and Mr. Lord urged TfL to “stop treating this situation as a PR problem and begin treating drivers as human beings,” adding: “My father’s life - and the lives of so many others - cannot be collateral damage in a broken licensing system.” Alex Marshall, President of the IWGB Union, condemned the situation as “nothing short of a national scandal.” The union is calling for immediate action, includ- ing the issuance of temporary licences to all affected drivers. TfL's director of licensing, Helen Chapman, extended her sym- pathies, attributing the delays to new software and a cyber incident last year. TfL has since granted short-term PHV driver licences where appropriate. GMB Union’s London Region is exploring a potential legal claim against TfL for loss of earnings, citing the financial impact of TfL’s licensing delays on its members having previously called TfL’s licensing system ‘not fit for purpose’. Steve Garelick, GMB Regional Organiser, said: “TfL has acknow- ledged some drivers were impacted by system issues but this public
acknowledgement doesn’t address the financial stress suffered. “GMB is committed to exploring every avenue to seek redress for those unfairly affected.” Meanwhile, following the board meeting Mr. Khan has endorsed calls from Lib Dem London Assembly Member, Gareth Roberts, for compensation for the drivers. Mr Roberts has been at the forefront of demanding urgent redress, highlighting numerous instances where drivers have faced dire consequences due to TfL’s processing failures. “For months, I’ve been hearing from drivers across London who are at breaking point,” he said. “They’ve been locked out of work, forced into rent arrears, and in some cases made homeless – all through no fault of their own. This is a moral crisis as much as a bureaucratic one.” Roberts detailed several cases during the recent questioning of the Mayor at City Hall, including a Richmond driver who became homeless, another waiting over 15 months for a licence, and one now in arrears despite applying five months in advance. Roberts stressed: “The Mayor’s commitment to compensation is a welcome step but it must go beyond words. These drivers deserve more than apologies; they deserve
support, and an overhaul of a system that has failed them.” He also pressed the Mayor on the urgent need for system reform and a timeline for resolving issues for drivers granted only short-term emergency licences.
JULY 2025 PHTM
real action, financial
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72
