MINISTERS have been urged to grant Transport for London (TfL) new powers to cap the number of private hire vehicles in the capital and impose safe working hours for ride-hailing apps such as Uber.

London Transport Committee chairwoman Elly Baker yesterday wrote to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, calling for TfL to be given legislative powers to establish a private hire vehicle cap and mandate data sharing by private hire operators as a condition of licensing.

Her calls were backed by the App Drivers and Couriers Union (ACDU), which said that data-sharing would provide “key protections our members urgently need in order to operate safely, and to make a reasonable living.”

ADCU president Cristina-Georgiana Ioanitescu said the union echoed Ms Baker’s “calls for greater data transparency, vehicle caps, and ending the use of dangerous technologies.”

The Department for Transport said: “We are aware of the concerns around the current legislative and regulatory framework, including cross-border hiring. We are considering all options, seeking the best overall outcomes for passenger safety.”

TfL was contacted for comment.

In her letter, Ms Baker, a Labour member of the London Assembly, said that private hire (PH) driver representatives have warned that the high volume of drivers in London “is causing extreme competition for fares.

“We heard that it is common among PH drivers to work long hours to earn enough money to live on, and heard of some drivers working 16 hours a day.

“Working shifts as long as this can result in driver fatigue, and we heard that driving under these conditions is dangerous for drivers, passengers, and other members of the public.”

She called for powers to include mandated data-sharing on journey patterns, including passenger journeys, number of active drivers, working hours and patterns, including driving time and working time when the vehicle is occupied, and areas drivers are operating in licensing agreements.

This would enable TfL “to monitor the business practices of operators including data on fares and algorithmic pricing, a cap on the number of licences being issued, and greater financial support for drivers, all of which are shared ADCU asks of the government,” she said.

Ms Baker urged the government and TfL “to listen to those who live and breathe these trades.”