TfL has issued a TPH 20/21 notice stating that the private hire operator must enter into a contract with the passenger as the principal. Can you confirm that this means that the private hire operator has a responsibility to pick the passenger up after acceptance of their booking?

Transport for London (TfL) set out its response to the 6 December 2021 Divisional Court judgment in TPH Notice 19/21 which states:

In order to operate lawfully under the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998 a licensed operator who accepts a booking from a passenger is required to enter into a contractual obligation with the passenger to provide the journey which is the subject of the booking.

All operators will need to demonstrate to TfL through their operating procedures, booking processes or otherwise that they enter into a contractual obligation with passengers to provide the journey which is the subject of the booking.

However, as set out in my previous response 2022/0139, there may be legitimate reasons why a private hire vehicle operator may not be able to fulfil a booking they have accepted.