Section 6

Driving and Parking in London

This section gives general information on parking and driving in London. It does not replace the need for you to be aware of your responsibilities under The Highway Code.

You must remember that:

• PHVs are not allowed to drive in bus lanes
• PHVs are not allowed to park, wait, drop off or collect passengers on a taxi rank
• PHVs are not allowed to use or park on electric taxi charge points

A PHV is not a taxi. If a road sign shows that access is for a taxi you are not allowed access. Here are two examples:

Bus lane sign

Electric taxi charging point sign

Stopping and waiting

Private hire drivers can stop to pick up or drop off passengers in many areas where there are rules in place to limit waiting or stopping. You need to remember that:

• PHV drivers should not stop in any place where they might stop other vehicles moving or be a danger to other road users.
• PHV drivers must not stop on zig-zag lines (for example, by pedestrian crossings, outside schools)

You should check what signage is displayed about stopping or waiting and make sure you understand and follow the instructions:

You can pick up or drop off passengers:

• On single and double red lines
• On single and double yellow lines
• In places where loading is not allowed (shown by markings on the kerb)
• In most parking bays
• In most bus lanes, although you should avoid this if possible as it might delayor obstruct buses

But remember you cannot wait for passengers in these areas.

• You can stop in the above locations only long enough for the passengers to get inor out of your vehicle. This includes the time to help passengers who needassistance, for example wheelchair users, including the time needed to make surethe wheelchair is in the right position and safely secured
• You should not stop on taxi ranks, even when picking up or dropping off passengers
• If there are waiting or parking restrictions, you cannot stop for longer than is needed for the passenger to get in or out of the vehicle. (There is no general permission that allows you to leave your vehicle to help a passenger to or from a building. However, some councils understand and accept that this is an important part of your job. If your passenger needs help, you should spend only a short time away from your vehicle, if possible, and make a note of the passenger’s details/booking, just in case you get a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN). It will be down to the council who issued the PCN to decide whether to accept this evidence and cancel the PCN
• If you are not picking up or dropping off a passenger, you may get a PCN if you waitsomewhere where there are restrictions. This can happen even if you have arrivedearly for a booking or the passenger is late, or if a passenger has asked you to stopand wait while they visit a shop or use a cashpoint
• You should not leave your engine running while you are waiting. If your engine is running while you are parked or waiting you are polluting the environment, and this can be illegal on a public road
• Never drop passengers off in the middle of the road, even if your vehicle is stopped due to traffic. You should always get close to the kerb

Bus lanes and bus stops

You can pick up or drop off passengers in most bus lanes, even though you are not allowed to drive in them, but you should avoid doing this if possible.

You must:

• Enter and leave the bus lane in the most direct and safe way. Pay careful attentionto cyclists and motorcyclists who are able to use bus lanes and to pedestrians andbus passengers that may be getting off the bus and crossing the road