Licence holders should be required to notify the issuing authority within 48 hours of an arrest and release, charge or conviction of any sexual offence, any offence involving dishonesty or violence and any motoring offence.

An arrest for any of the offences within this scope should result in a review by the issuing authority as to whether the licence holder is fit to continue to do so.

We propose to:

• Prescribe a licence condition that will require all taxi drivers to inform us of any arrest and release, charge or conviction of any offence within 48 hours. This prescribed condition will apply to all licensed taxi drivers with immediate effect
• Attach a condition to every PHV driver licence issued on or after the implementation date that the licence holder informs us of any arrest and release, charge or conviction of any offence within 48 hours. The condition will be applied to all PHV drivers over the three-year renewal cycle
• Amend the regulation that requires PHV operators to notify us of convictions within 14 days to state 48 hours and extend the requirement to include “arrest and release, charge, caution or conviction”

Ways to make complaints to the authority should be displayed in all licensed vehicles.

We propose to:

• Require all taxis and PHVs to display signage that will include information on how to make a complaint to TfL alongside other statutory and important safety information
• Prescribe a condition that will require every taxi driver to ensure that the taxi they are driving is displaying the signage. This prescribed condition will apply to all licensed taxi drivers with immediate effect
• Attach a condition to every PHV driver licence issued on or after the implementation date that the PHV they are driving is displaying the signage

We propose to change our current Certificate of Good Conduct (CoGC) requirements and require from applicants for a taxi driver, PHV operator and PHV driver licence a CoGC to cover any periods outside the UK since the applicant was 18.

When renewing, taxi drivers and PHV drivers will have to declare any further extended periods when they have lived overseas for three or more continuous months since they were 18, and then obtain a CoGC accordingly.

All individuals applying for or renewing a taxi or PHV driver’s licence should be subject to an enhanced DBS check and a check of the children and adult Barred lists.

All licensed drivers should also be required to evidence continuous registration with the DBS update service to enable the licensing authority to routinely check for new information every six months. Drivers that do not subscribe to the Update Service should still be subject to a check every six months.

We propose to amend our existing DBS requirements and:

• To introduce an application requirement that requires all applicants for a taxi driver’s or PHV driver’s licence, both new and renewal, to provide evidence of registration with the DBS Update service
• To introduce a licence condition that once licensed, all taxi drivers and PHV drivers maintain continuous registration with the DBS Update service
• That once taxi drivers and PHV drivers have registered with the Update service, we will undertake six monthly checks with the DBS
  

All licensing authorities should require taxi and PHV drivers to undertake safeguarding training.

A lack of language proficiency could impact on a driver’s ability to understand written documents, such as policies and guidance, relating to the protection of children and vulnerable adults and applying this to identify and act on signs of exploitation.

We have considered the safeguarding training and English language standards together and will be delivering them as part of a comprehensive package of taxi driver and PHV driver assessments.

We’ve already introduced online safeguarding awareness training for all taxi and PHV drivers.

PHV drivers

For PHV drivers we have already introduced a safety, equality and regulatory understanding assessment and an English language requirement.

Taxi drivers

We propose to introduce a mandatory safety, equality and regulatory understanding assessment for all new and renewing taxi drivers.

We will continue to monitor the speaking and listening skills taxi drivers demonstrate when completing the Knowledge to ensure that London taxi drivers’ English skills meet the objectives in the Standards.

If there is sufficient evidence to suggest that the Knowledge of London does not demonstrate taxi drivers’ English speaking and listening skills, we propose to introduce a separate speaking and listening test similar to that undertaken by applicants for PHV driver licences.

We are interested in your views on whether taxi drivers’ speaking and listening skills meet the objectives in the DfT’s Standards or whether further assessment is necessary.

Licensing authorities should require a basic disclosure from the DBS [for taxi vehicle and PHV licence applicants] and that a check is undertaken annually.

Licensing authorities should consider whether an applicant or licence holder with a conviction for offences provided in the annex to this document (Annex – Assessment of previous convictions), other than those relating to driving, meet the ‘fit and proper’ threshold.

At this time we do not propose to introduce any additional requirements for either taxi or PHV owners.

The proposal to undertake DBS checks and overseas checks on vehicle owners were not included in the DfT’s 2019 consultation on the draft Statutory Standards. Stakeholders have not therefore had the opportunity to comment on this in the final version of the Standards

• a basic DBS certificate and that a check is undertaken annually and a Certificate of Good Conduct to cover any periods of three or more continuous months spent outside the UK since the applicant was 18.

Licensing authorities should require a basic disclosure from the DBS [for PHV operator licence applicants] and that a check is undertaken annually.

Licensing authorities should consider whether an applicant or licence holder with a conviction for offences provided in the annex to this document (Annex – Assessment of previous convictions), other than those relating to driving, meet the ‘fit and proper’ threshold.

We propose:

• To introduce a new licence condition that will require all existing licensed PHV operators to provide a basic DBS check each year within 28 days of the anniversary of the licence issue date
• To require all new applicants for a PHV operator’s licence to provide a basic DBS certificate annually
• That all basic DBS checks are obtained through our service provider
  

Operators should be required to evidence that they have had sight of a Basic DBS check on all individuals listed on their register of booking and dispatch staff

When individuals start taking bookings and dispatching vehicles for an operator they should be required, as part of their employment contract, to advise the operator of any convictions while they are employed in this role.

• To prescribe a new licence condition that all PHV operators must keep a register of booking and dispatch staff
• That the information that must be included in the register will include name, date of birth, and reference number and date of DBS check
• To require all new and renewing applicants for a PHV operator licence to provide their policy on employing ex-offenders with their application
  

Licensing authorities should as a minimum require PHV operators to record the following information for each booking:

• the name of the passenger;
• the time of the request;
• the pick-up point;
• the destination;
• the name of the driver;
• the driver’s licence number;
• the vehicle registration number of the vehicle;
• the name of any individual that responded to the booking request;
• the name of any individual that dispatched the vehicle.

PHV operators are already required to record most of this information when accepting a booking.

We propose to amend the existing PHV operator booking record requirement to:

• Include the name of any individual that responded to the booking request and the name of any individual that dispatched the vehicle
• Specify that the booking records must record the driver’s PHV licence number
• Specify that the booking records must record the vehicle registration mark (VRM) of the vehicle

We are proposing:

• Wherever possible, we propose to apply any new licensing policies immediately, but the differences in taxi and PHV legislation may require different approaches to taxi and PHV licensees
• That where appropriate, when there are changes in licensing requirements, we will review the licences already issued

We propose to change the time PHV operators have to notify us of convictions from 14 days to 48 hours.

• You support our proposals.
• You think there are any issue with our proposal
• Where timescales to take action are proposed, where these are appropriate

We propose that within 48 hours of receiving a safety related complaint about a PHV driver, a PHV operator should:

• Assess whether it is necessary to suspend or remove that driver account pending further inquiries
• Notify us if they have suspended or removed a PHV driver

We propose that all PHV operators must have in place and make use of appropriate checks to:

• Verify that all documents provided by PHV drivers are legitimate
• Confirm documents relate to the PHV driver providing them
• Verify that all documents (e.g. licence, insurance, etc.) provided by PHV owners are legitimate
• Confirm PHV documents relate to the relevant vehicle

We propose that all PHV operators should:

• Regularly and frequently check the validity of PHV driver and PHV licences before making the driver and vehicle available to carry out private hire bookings
• Use a TfL platform such as the licence checker (or similar) to carry out the checks

We are not proposing to remove the requirement for public liability insurance but we are interested in whether you think the current minimum of £5 million for public liability insurance is still appropriate?