Section 8: Customer service and driver behaviour

Section 8: Customer service and driver behaviour

This section explains how we expect taxi drivers to behave towards passengers

We expect all licensed taxi drivers to offer Londoners and visitors a professional and safe service. If you give a passenger poor service, it might not affect you, but the passenger might decide to never use a taxi again. It is therefore in the interests of the whole trade to give the best possible customer service at all times.

Helping your passengers

Unless you have a certified medical condition, which prevents this, please give reasonable assistance to passengers, such as:

• Helping passengers getting into and out of your taxi
• Helping load and unload luggage

A lot of taxi passengers in London, especially those taking taxis from Heathrow Airport, are from outside the UK and will not be familiar with taxi fares and the rules that affect taxis. They will trust you to take them to their destination by the most direct route and not to overcharge them (charge more than is necessary).

Do not get caught by traffic restrictions. It is part of a taxi driver’s Knowledge to learn when certain roads close (for example, due to tidal flow, where the direction of traffic may change to help with traffic flow), when restrictions such as no right turns are introduced or lifted, when access is restricted (for example outside some schools or in low-traffic neighbourhoods), when you can use the Royal Parks (for example, closures during the Changing of the Guard or at weekends) and what restrictions may be in place.

If there is a lot of congestion and you feel that you can give your passengers a better service by taking a longer route to avoid a problem, explain what you would like to do and why. Talking to your passengers in a situation like this may avoid a complaint. They may prefer to wait in traffic and go by the most direct route.

At the beginning of a journey never be afraid to ask your passenger if they have a preferred route. Some passengers do the same journey regularly and always like to go the same way.

Complaints

In order to ensure that taxi passengers are always offered a high quality of service, we have a team whose job is to deal with complaints about taxis and taxi drivers.

All taxis have signs in them advising passengers how to contact TfL if they need to make a complaint.

If we receive a complaint that concerns you, we will provide you with details and invite your comments. Depending on how serious the complaint is, this could be in writing or by inviting you to attend a fact-finding interview. Once you have had the opportunity to respond to the complaint and we have made any other necessary enquiries, we will advise you of the result.

We take complaints against a taxi driver into consideration when deciding whether a driver should continue to have a licence, and we will keep a record of complaints made about you. Receiving minor, infrequent complaints should not be a reason to be worried. However, if there are a number of complaints about you and it is clear your behaviour is poor, and all other opportunities for improving your behaviour have been tried, we, as the licensing body, may consider suspending or revoking your taxi driver‘s licence.

Unacceptable behaviour

You are responsible for making sure your passengers feel safe in your taxi. The way that you interact with them will affect the way they will feel about their journey with you. It is important that you are professional and deal with passengers in a way that makes them feel relaxed. You should never make comments or jokes about someone’s appearance, age, race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity.

You should never use a passenger’s personal contact details to start communicating with them about anything apart from a booked journey. Contacting a passenger for personal or social reasons is a misuse of their personal information.

Drivers who behave in an unacceptable way will have action taken against them by TfL and/or the police.

Entering the back of your taxi

Apart from in an emergency, you must not get into the passenger compartment of your taxi while you have passengers on board. If you do so, you risk making your passengers uncomfortable, and your Actions may be misunderstood or considered inappropriate.

If your passenger is seriously ill, you should call the emergency services on 999 immediately. You should not try to physically check the passenger or give first aid yourself unless you are following the instructions of the emergency services or a medical professional, or you have had appropriate first aid or medical training.

If your passenger is ill, or has a disability, and asks you to help them enter or leave your taxi – for example, to hold your arm to support them – check exactly what help they are asking you for. Keep any physical contact to the minimum required to give the help your passenger asks for.

Unacceptable sexual behaviour

No type of sexual behaviour between you and a passenger is ever acceptable, even if both of you agree to it.

We take this issue extremely seriously. We or the police will consider carefully all complaints and reports, and will take appropriate action. You will lose your licence if it is decided that you have behaved in an unsuitable way towards any of your passengers.

You should never:

• Look at or speak to a passenger in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable – for example, staring at any part of their body
• Make any sexual comments, or give opinions about a passenger’s appearance or clothing
• Take part in any conversation of a sexual nature. This includes asking questions about someone’s sex life or telling sexual jokes
• Touch a passenger in an unacceptable way. You should avoid any physical contact with a passenger unless completely necessary (such as helping a person who needs assistance into your taxi) to reduce any misunderstanding or complaints against you. Touching someone without their permission could be a sexual assault and will be investigated by the police
• Suggest having sex with a passenger
• Offer or accept sex or sexual activity in place of a fare
• Take part in sexual activity of any kind with a passenger, even if both you and the passenger agree to it or the passenger suggests it
• Watch, display or share pornographic (sexual) pictures, or any other sexual material with a passenger
• Commit any other sexual offence

Your passengers expect to be treated in an appropriate way. Think about your actions and how they might affect a passenger. It doesn’t matter how good your intentions are or how harmless you think your behaviour is, avoid doing anything that a passenger might think is sexual.

Ending violence against women and girls

We are committed to ending violence against women and girls.

The White Ribbon charity ‘s aim is to prevent men’s violence against women and girls by dealing with its causes. The charity works with men and boys to try and stop violence before it starts. TfL is a White Ribb on accredited organisation.

To show your support, you can make ‘the White Ribbon promise’. This is an opportunity for you to promise to never use, excuse or remain silent about men’s violence against women.

The White Ribbon website also has information about Actions you can take to help end violence against women and girls.

Social media

The use of social media has become very popular and plays an important role in many people’s lives. Social media is a public forum and licensed drivers must take care when mixing their personal and professional life in the social media and online world.

TfL respects the right for drivers to speak freely on social media, however, when using social media (Facebook, X (Twitter), YouTube, blogging etc.), a taxi driver‘s fitness to be licensed may be reviewed if they make comments which:

• Harasses or bullies passengers, customers, other licensed drivers, and TfL employees or agents/people working on behalf of TfL
• Are likely to offend on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, Pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and/ or sexual orientation
• Breach any other laws or any other regulatory requirements

To help check that social media is not used as medium to harass, intimidate or abuse TfL employees, agents and others, we will check and respond to any conduct on social media considered not acceptable. We will assess each case on the individual facts but any conduct falling short of an acceptable standard will result in your fitness to be licensed being reviewed.