Greater London Authority Act 1999

Chapter X The Transport Users' Committee

246 Abolition of the London Regional Passengers' Committee

(1) Section 40 of the [1984 c. 32.] London Regional Transport Act 1984 (which established the London Regional Passengers' Committee) shall cease to have effect.

(2) Any appointment to the London Regional Passengers' Committee in pursuance of that section shall cease to have effect.

247 The London Transport Users' Committee

(1) There shall be a body corporate to be known as the London Transport Users' Committee, referred to in this Chapter as “the Committee”.

(2) The Committee shall consist of—

(a) a Chairman, and

(b) not more than twenty-four other members,

appointed by the Assembly after consultation with the Rail Regulator.

(3) In appointing members under subsection (2) above, the Assembly shall have regard to the desirability of ensuring that the members of the Committee between them represent the interests of—

(a) those who use passenger transport facilities and services in Greater London, and

(b) those who use rail passenger transport facilities and services in the area for which the Committee is treated as the Rail Users' Consultative Committee by virtue of section 2(4) of the Railways Act 1993.

(4) A person may not be appointed under subsection (2) above if he is—

(a) an Assembly member,

(b) a member of Transport for London,

(c) a member of staff of Transport for London, or

(d) a member of staff of the Authority.

(5) If, at any time after he is appointed, a member of the Committee becomes a person within subsection (4)(a) to (d) above, he shall cease to be a member of the Committee.

(6) The Assembly may designate one or more members of the Committee to be deputy chairman or (as the case may be) deputy chairmen of the Committee.

(7) Schedule 18 to this Act shall have effect with respect to the Committee.

248 Representations to the Committee

(1) The Committee shall consider and, where it appears to the Committee to be desirable, make recommendations with respect to, any matter—

(a) affecting the functions of the Authority or Transport for London which relate to transport, and

(b) falling within subsection (3) below, other than a matter relating to the transportation of freight.

(2) The matters falling within subsection (1)(a) above include in particular any matter relating to—

(a) services or facilities provided by Transport for London or any of its subsidiaries,

(b) services or facilities provided in pursuance of an agreement entered into by Transport for London or in pursuance of a transport subsidiary’s agreement,

(c) services or facilities otherwise authorised by Transport for London to be provided,

(d) a hackney carriage or a person licensed to be the driver of a hackney carriage, or

(e) a private hire vehicle or a person who holds a private hire vehicle driver’s licence or a private hire vehicle operator’s licence.

(3) A matter falls within this subsection—

(a) if it has been the subject of representations (other than representations appearing to the Committee to be frivolous) made to the Committee by or on behalf of users of—

(i) any of the services or facilities mentioned in subsection (2) above, or

(ii) hackney carriages or private hire vehicles,

(b) if it has been referred to the Committee by Transport for London or the Authority, or

(c) if it otherwise appears to the Committee to be a matter to which consideration ought to be given.

(4) Where a representation is made to the Committee in respect of a matter relating to a highway for which Transport for London is the highway authority and the traffic authority, the Committee shall in making any recommendation under subsection (1) above consider the interests of all those who use the highway for the purposes of passenger transport, including cyclists and pedestrians.

(5) Where a representation is made to the Committee about a matter—

(a) which relates to passenger transport by land or water in Greater London, but

(b) which is not a matter the Committee must consider by virtue of subsection (1) above,

the Committee shall refer the matter to the person whom the Committee considers the most appropriate to consider the matter.

(6) Where a representation is made to the Committee about a matter falling within subsection (2)(d) or (e) above and the matter relates to—

(a) any contravention of, or failure to comply with, any rule of law, or

(b) any breach of condition of a licence which has been granted by Transport for London,

the Committee shall refer the matter to Transport for London and shall notify the person who made the representation of the referral.

(7) Where the Committee refers a matter under subsection (5) above, the Committee shall inform the person who made the representation of the name of the body or person to whom the matter has been referred.

(8) In this section—

• “hackney carriage” means a vehicle licensed under section 6 of the [1869 c. 115.] Metropolitan Public Carriage Act 1869;

• “person licensed to be the driver of a hackney carriage” means a person licensed under section 8 of the [1869 c. 115.] Metropolitan Public Carriage Act 1869 or section 8 of the [1843 c. 86.] London Hackney Carriages Act 1843;

• “private hire vehicle” means a vehicle for which a private hire vehicle licence for London is in force under section 7 of the [1998 c. 34.] Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998;

• “private hire vehicle driver’s licence” means a licence granted under section 13 of that Act;

• “private hire vehicle operator’s licence” means a licence granted under section 3 of that Act.

249 Voluntary arrangements with transport providers

(1) The Committee may enter into arrangements with any person providing public passenger transport services or facilities in Greater London under which the Committee may consider any matter—

(a) which relates to such transport services or facilities provided by that person, but

(b) which is not a matter falling within section 248(1) above.

(2) Arrangements under subsection (1) above shall be on such terms as may be agreed by the parties but may in particular include provision for the person with whom the Committee enters into the arrangements to make such payments by way of reimbursement of costs incurred by the Committee under the arrangements as the arrangements may specify.

(3) Arrangements under this section may be entered into by the Committee only with the consent of the Assembly.

250 Recommendations and reports etc

(1) Copies of the minutes, conclusions and recommendations of the Committee with respect to any matter shall be sent—

(a) to the Assembly,

(b) to the Mayor, and

(c) to Transport for London.

(2) The Committee shall make an annual report to the Assembly and the Rail Regulator.

(3) Where the Assembly, the Mayor or Transport for London reach a decision with respect to matters dealt with in any recommendation received under subsection (1) above, the decision shall be notified to the Committee.

251 Directions by the Assembly

(1) The Assembly may issue to the Committee—

(a) guidance as to the manner in which they are to exercise their functions, or

(b) general directions as to the manner in which they are to exercise their functions.

(2) The Committee shall exercise their functions in accordance with such guidance or directions as may be issued by the Assembly under subsection (1) above.

(3) Any guidance or directions issued under subsection (1) above must be issued in writing and notified to such officer of the Committee as the Committee may from time to time nominate to the Assembly for the purpose.

252 Role as rail users' consultative committee

(1) In section 2(4) of the [1993 c. 43.] Railways Act 1993 (London Regional Passengers' Committee to be the Rail Users' Consultative Committee for Greater London), for “London Regional Passengers' Committee” there shall be substituted “London Transport Users' Committee”.

(2) Schedule 19 to this Act (which contains amendments of enactments relating to the London Regional Passengers' Committee in consequence of the substitution for that committee of the London Transport Users' Committee) shall have effect.