LANG J. held that it was arguably unlawful for TfL to have granted an Operator’s Licence to Transopco, because Transopco (a) facilitated and encouraged private hire drivers to work off a ride-hailing app despite it being unlawful for private hire vehicles to ‘ply for hire’ on London’s roads, and (b) required private hire drivers to accept private hire bookings without themselves holding operators licences.  The Judge ordered that the case should be heard before a Divisional Court given its great importance and potential implications for private hire operators and drivers generally.

David Matthias QC and Charles Streeten appeared for UTAG