Transport bosses are risking public safety by allowing refugees and asylum seekers to become minicab drivers without undergoing full background checks, a London politician has claimed.
Transport for London has admitted some criminal record checks will be skipped for people who are fleeing their home country for their own safety.
A TfL document seen by The Daily Express states that overseas checks will not be made for people with - or those who have applied for - refugee or asylum status.
Nick de Bois, who is seeking re-election as Conservative MP for Enfield North, said the "legal loophole" could allow dangerous criminals to become cab drivers.
He told the Express: "They should not be offering licences to those they can't check on.
"They could be putting vulnerable members of the public in the hands of thieves, murderers and rapists. It beggars belief."
The aspiring private hire cab drivers will still be expected to undergo standard checks with the Home Office, a spokeswoman for TfL said.
The current system for checking hire cab drivers had been in place for at least seven years, she added.
Helen Chapman, general manager of TfL’s London taxi and private hire unit, said: "All applicants for a Taxi or Private Hire drivers licence are required to undertake an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check which is carried out by the Home Office.
"Any applicant that has lived in a country other than the UK for more than three months within the last three years is also required to produce a Certificate of Good Conduct from the relevant country."
She continued: "We recognise this may not be possible if an applicant is granted asylum or refugee status and, where applicable, these applicants will be required to provide a Certificate of Good Conduct from any other country of residence within the last three years.
"They will also be required to provide evidence of their Certificate of Registration or a letter from the Border and Immigration Agency."
