IWGB Private Hire Drivers Statement on TfL's 'Goodwill' Payment for License Delays

If Transport for London believes its announcement of a £500 “Goodwill” payment will be met with anything other than contempt by the drivers whose lives were torn apart by TfL’s prolonged incompetence, it is profoundly mistaken.

Two facts must be made absolutely clear. First, £500 does not begin to reflect the scale of the harm suffered. Drivers lost tens of thousands of pounds in income, were pushed into crippling debt, and in many cases lost their vehicles, their homes, their families, and their mental health. This payment is not compensation; it is an insult.

Second, this crisis was not the result of forces beyond TfL’s control. It was the direct consequence of repeated decisions made by TfL that exacerbated and prolonged the damage, despite clear warnings and mounting evidence of harm. That pattern of conduct amounts to gross negligence.

To seek proper, meaningful compensation for the harm that drivers suffered, the IWGB is currently exploring a legal claim with law firm Leigh Day. In order to build our case, we need to collect information from drivers impacted by the delays. The more drivers who fill in the survey, the stronger our case will be: iwgb.org.uk/en/page/license-delay-compensation-pilot

The IWGB has beaten TfL before, and we will do so again. Every meaningful concession TfL has made came only after drivers organised and fought back. This will be no different. Join the union. Fill out the claim survey. And show TfL that drivers will not be bought off with a £500 bribe in place of real justice.