Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of online taxi app companies on (a) independent taxi companies and (b) their drivers.

Government supports choice for passengers in the taxi and private hire vehicle sector. It is a matter for taxi drivers if they wish to use a taxi app company as an intermediary between them and the passenger. All private hire vehicle journeys must be pre-booked through a licensed operator. It is for private hire vehicle drivers to decide which operators they wish to work with, subject to licensing requirements. The Department’s taxi and private hire vehicle survey provides information on the numbers of licensed taxi and private hire vehicle drivers, vehicles and private hire vehicle operators and how these have changed since the adoption by passengers and the sector of new technology.