Freedom of Information request - Reviews of taxi demand and taxi ranks
Case reference FOI2026/00610
Received 15 June 2026
Published 13 July 2026
Request
Response
In accordance with section 1(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), Oxford City Council (OCC) confirms that it holds the most recent completed unmet demand survey report.
The survey fieldwork was undertaken between September and December 2018, with further examination of the research continuing until March 2019. The resulting report was presented to the General Purposes Licensing Committee on 14 May 2019. For completeness, OCC is providing access to that report because it is the most recent completed unmet demand survey held by the Council. The committee meeting page, where the report appears under item 6, is available here. The report can also be accessed directly here.
As the report is already publicly available and reasonably accessible to you through OCC’s website, section 21 of the FOIA applies.
Section 21 provides an exemption where information is reasonably accessible to the applicant by other means. It is an absolute exemption and is therefore not subject to the public interest test. The links have been provided above to assist you in locating the information.
OCC does not hold a completed unmet demand survey undertaken after the survey report presented in 2019.
A further survey was anticipated in 2021. However, because of the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on the licensed trade and the travelling public, OCC considered that a survey undertaken at that time would not have provided a sufficiently reliable evidence base.
OCC subsequently commenced a wider review of its Hackney Carriage Quantity Control Policy in 2023. As part of that process, a public consultation was conducted between 4 September and 27 November 2024. The matters raised through that consultation required further consideration and legal advice as part of the continuing review.
The review remains ongoing. OCC is considering the future operation of the policy, including its benefits for the travelling public. Any requirement for further evidence gathering, including a further unmet demand survey, will be determined as part of that review.
OCC is also awaiting further clarity regarding proposals for local government reorganisation. Changes to local authority boundaries or governance arrangements may materially affect the operation and review of Hackney Carriage Quantity Control policies. OCC will take account of any relevant decisions arising from that process before determining the next steps in its review.
The 2019 unmet demand survey report linked above contains recorded information relating to taxi-rank provision, including rank locations, observations of rank activity, passenger waiting times, use of individual ranks and consideration of changes to rank provision.
OCC also considers taxi-rank provision on an ongoing basis. Where suitable opportunities are identified, it supports the creation of additional Hackney carriage ranks within the OCC area. The number of taxi ranks has increased in recent years.
OCC’s current published list of taxi ranks, including their locations, capacities and operating times, is available here.
As this information is already publicly available and reasonably accessible to you through OCC’s website, section 21 of the FOIA applies. As explained above, section 21 is an absolute exemption and is not subject to the public interest test.
Following searches undertaken by the relevant service area, OCC has not identified any additional recorded documentation within the scope of this part of your request beyond the information contained in the 2019 report and the current published taxi-rank information linked above.
FOIA provides a right of access to recorded information held by a public authority. It does not require the Council to create a new report, analysis or summary where no such recorded information is held.
If you disagree with any part of the response to your request, you are entitled to ask the Council for an internal review of the decision(s) made. You may do this by writing to the Monitoring Officer, by either email monitoringofficer@oxford.gov.uk – or by post to Monitoring Officer, Oxford City Council, Town Hall, St Aldate’s, Oxford, OX1 1BX. After the result of the internal review, if you remain dissatisfied, you may ask the Information Commissioner to intervene on your behalf. You may do this by writing to the Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.
Yours sincerely,
Freedom of Information Officer
| Freedom of Information Team | Law & Governance | Oxford City Council | Town Hall | St Aldate’s | Oxford | OX1 1BX |
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