Taxi drivers

Vision standards for taxi and private hire drivers are set by the local authority. Most local authorities require taxi and private hire drivers to be able to meet the same vision standards as group 2 (bus/lorry) drivers.

London Taxi and Private Hire (form TPH/204)

You may be asked to complete the ‘Vision’ section (page 9) of a TPH/204 form for London Taxi and Private Hire drivers.

The vision standards put in place by Transport for London (TfL) are similar to those of a group 2 (bus/lorry) driver, but the TPH/204 form asks practitioners to confirm that the applicant has a ‘normal binocular field of vision’ without specifying how practitioners should measure this, or what criteria to apply when deciding whether the results are consistent with a ‘normal binocular field of vision’. It’s possible that TfL are expecting practitioners to measure binocular field of vision using a machine which the DVLA would consider acceptable for group 2 drivers (eg a 124 point ‘Humphrey Esterman 4’ test or a 124 point ‘Henson 9000 Esterman’ test), and then apply the DVLA’s guidance on Higher standards of field of vision – bus and lorry drivers, to decide whether the binocular field of vision is normal.

We have contacted TfL on several occasions since 2019 (most recently in April 2022), and we are currently awaiting clarification on what practitioners are expected to do in order to answer this question honestly. In the meantime, we are advising that practices should not agree to complete this form unless:

1. They have a visual fields machine which the DVLA consider is acceptable for group 2 drivers; and
2. The patient understands that, unless the results of the test meet the DVLA’s reliability criteria and indicate a clear ‘pass’, it will not be possible to confirm that the applicant has a ‘normal  binocular field of vision’

We have also asked TfL to confirm where to enter information about ‘other ophthalmic conditions’ (possibly page 12 ‘E – Further details’).