Taxi drivers in the UK need to apply for DBS checks to ensure safety for travelling passengers. However, it can be difficult to understand which type of DBS check is required and how to apply. We have provided information below that will help you with any uncertainty regarding DBS checks for taxi drivers.
If we look at the statistics. The UK government made some amendments to the Police Act 1997 in the year 2012. The new regulations made all PHV drivers and taxi drivers eligible for undergoing an Enhanced DBS check.
All these
changes in the regulations are important to ensure safe and risk-free
travel experience for passengers. Before this amendment, Enhanced
checks were important for taxi drivers who used to transport
vulnerable adults and children on a regular basis.
Applying
for DBS Checks: Eligibility Criteria for Taxi Drivers
Applicants
for PHV and taxi licenses need to apply for Enhanced DBS checks,
including children and adult barred lists. As per regulations, this
is the highest level of check available for taxi drivers.
In order to
apply for these checks, the candidate must be engaged in regulated
activities. But it is also important to mention that candidates that
are not dealing with regulated activity are also eligible to apply
for barred list checks.
DBS
Check for Taxi Drivers transporting children:
If the PHV
driver or taxi driver is transporting children as a normal part of
their work, it would not be considered a regulated activity. The
driver will be considered engaged in the regulated activity only if
he has signed a contract or agreement with a third party stating that
he will be driving children for more than three days each month.
One of the
best examples is a taxi driver working as per a contract for a school
to transport children every day. In this case, the school act as a
third-party organization, and they are responsible for applying for
the DBS checks of the driver.
However, in
the event a parent hires a taxi driver privately just to transport
their child to and from school, the driver is not considered to be
engaged in the regulated activity. It will be considered as a normal
part of their driving work.
It
is better to check all criteria in advance to know about the
eligibility and application process. The third-party employer needs
to submit an application for the DBS check
requirements of the employee and the type of
check will be decided on the basis of work in which the driver is
involved in on a routine basis.