TfL private hire drivers' group action
Leigh Day is looking at whether we are able to assist private-hire vehicle drivers who have experienced significant loss of earnings, while waiting for their licences to be renewed by Transport for London (TfL).
Leigh Day is aware that many private-hire vehicle drivers have suffered significant loss of earnings and other financial difficulties due to delays by Transport for London (TfL) in renewing or issuing their licences. These delays have prevented some drivers from working and, in some cases, from keeping up with car finance payments.
We are currently investigating whether we can assist affected drivers in seeking compensation for their losses. TfL has its own ‘Goodwill Payment Scheme’, but we understand that the payments offered so far may not fully reflect the financial impact on drivers.
If you would like to join the group action, please complete the form via the “Join the group action” link located at the top or bottom of the page, or click here.
Background
Since early 2025, TfL has experienced substantial delays in processing private hire driver licences. This has led to loss of income and other financial consequences for many drivers. Leigh Day is exploring potential legal action to help drivers recover these losses.
What is the group action about?
Our next step is to formally notify TfL of the issues on behalf of affected drivers. This is the first stage in the legal process. We will also ask TfL to agree to pause the legal time limits that would normally apply, so that drivers do not risk losing their right to bring a claim, while we explore whether the issues can be resolved without needing to issue court proceedings.
At the moment, our work is focused on this early investigative stage. If it becomes necessary to take further action, we will consider issuing legal proceedings in due course.
Join the group action
Simply fill out our short form to check your eligibility.
Why choose Leigh Day
Who can join this action?
If you are a private hire driver who has experienced licensing delays in the past year or is currently experiencing delays in receiving your licence from TfL, you may be eligible to register your interest in taking legal action.
What is the action worth?
Based on the information we have received so far, we think that the average driver may be entitled to approximately £5,000 in compensation. If you were without a licence for a longer period, or had other associated losses, your compensation is likely to be higher. We would need to consider your average earnings and how long you were without a licence to ascertain what compensation may be available to you.
How do I join?
Joining the group action is easy and only takes a few minutes. You don’t need to provide any documents like tax returns to find out if you are eligible to register.
Our sign-up process is as straightforward and transparent as possible.
The full terms for joining this group legal action are set out in our Damages Based Agreement – which you can review after checking your eligibility.
TfL private hire drivers' group action FAQ's
Leigh Day is seeking to send a pre-action protocol letter to TfL which is the first step in bringing legal proceedings against TfL.
We understand that over the past year, some private hire vehicle drivers have experienced significant delays to their TfL licences being issued or renewed. The consequence of this is that many private hire drivers have suffered significant losses to their earnings in addition to other financial losses.
Therefore, the Leigh Day team is looking at whether we are able to assist drivers to recover their losses. The first step Leigh Day intends to take is sending a formal legal letter (called a Pre-Action Protocol letter or Letter Before Action) to TfL, in order to try to negotiate a settlement to compensate drivers prior to the step of issuing formal legal proceedings in Court.
By signing up as a client of Leigh Day, you would be included in the group of drivers on whose behalf we send the formal legal letter outlined above. At the moment, we are not issuing claims against TfL but this is something we will consider if TfL do not engage in settlement discussions.
Any private hire vehicle driver who applied for their licence to be issued / renewed and was subject to TfL's significant delays in processing these applications.
Usually, you would need to join the group action within 12 months of the date that you applied for your licence to be renewed, although Leigh Day is investigating this issue further. We are also looking to see if we could reach an agreement to suspend time limits with TfL, while negotiation takes place and prior to issuing Court proceedings.
We are aware TfL has a goodwill payment scheme in place, but Leigh Day believes that the amounts offered are not sufficient and do not reflect the true losses experienced.
Yes, you can still join the group action, even if you no longer drive a private-hire vehicle or your licence has been renewed. At the moment, Leigh Day is looking at trying to negotiate a settlement with TfL for drivers who were affected by the licencing delays. If there was a delay to TfL processing your licence issue or renewal within the past year and as a result you suffered loss of earnings or other financial losses, then you can sign up to the group action.
If you obtain compensation or financial benefit from the action we are taking, we will deduct 25% plus VAT from the compensation or financial benefit you receive, to cover our fees. We do not anticipate you would be liable for any of TfL’s legal fees unless there were exceptional circumstances, for example if you broke the agreement that you signed with us. Further details are contained within the agreement.
Currently, we are focusing on pre-action work. If we do proceed to issue Court claims, we will be in touch about any changes this would have to our funding agreement with you.
If we are successful, we will calculate your compensation by assessing documents, such as bank statements, in order to calculate your total loss of earnings and any other financial losses you have suffered as a result of the licencing delay. The process may differ if there is a settlement, and we will advise our clients if this happens.
A successful action may also lead to an increase in the amount of money offered as part of TfL’s goodwill payment scheme.
It is unlawful for TfL to penalise you for joining a group action by refusing to renew your licence in the future. If TfL were to do this, they would be acting outside of the powers granted to them by law by taking into account irrelevant factors when deciding upon your application.
No, you do not need to provide any documents to join the group action. We do need you to complete a short form and ask that you do so as accurately as possible.
Once you join the group action, we will contact you with further information. During the course of the group action, we may ask you to provide documents to support your legal action, such as documents which assist in calculating your compensation. We will contact you if we need anything from you.
To find out if you are eligible or to start your TfL private hire drivers' legal action, get in touch with our expert employment lawyers.
- Fill out our online enquiry form
- Call us on 020 3780 0288
- Email the team at tflclaims@leighday.co.uk