SERU driver behaviour: questions and answers

1. What must a private hire operator do with complaints it receives?

1. Delete them after one month
2. Keep details of all of them (correct answer)
3. Keep only the serious ones
4. Send them all to the driver to answer

Answer: B. Keep details of all of them. Operators must keep details of every complaint made to them. TfL PHV Driver's Handbook, Section 5

2. An operator must report to the blank any complaint that involves a possible crime.

1. DVLA
2. council
3. police (correct answer)
4. insurer

Answer: C. police. The police can then investigate. Operators must report complaints that involve possible crimes. TfL PHV Driver's Handbook, Section 5

3. A passenger is not happy with how your operator dealt with their complaint. What can they do?

1. Contact TfL (correct answer)
2. Nothing more
3. Contact the DVLA
4. Ask you for a refund

Answer: A. Contact TfL. Passengers can contact TfL if they are not satisfied with the operator. TfL may then carry out its own investigation. TfL PHV Driver's Handbook, Section 5

4. If TfL investigates a complaint about you, it will give you the details and ask for your blank.

1. comments (correct answer)
2. licence
3. vehicle
4. fee

Answer: A. comments. TfL asks for your side of the story and tells you the result when it has finished its enquiries. TfL PHV Driver's Handbook, Section 5

5. Why is it important to answer all of TfL's requests for information about a complaint?

1. TfL charges a fee when a driver does not answer
2. TfL always drops a complaint when you answer it
3. TfL can only decide using the information it receives (correct answer)
4. TfL needs your answer to work out your tax bill

Answer: C. TfL can only decide using the information it receives. TfL can only base a decision on what it receives, so your response matters. TfL PHV Driver's Handbook, Section 5

6. A driver has a pattern of poor behaviour, and attempts to improve it have failed. What may TfL do?

1. Change the driver's operator
2. Suspend or revoke the licence (correct answer)
3. Ask the passengers to apologise
4. Add points to the driving licence

Answer: B. Suspend or revoke the licence. TfL may suspend or revoke a licence after a serious complaint, a number of complaints or a pattern of poor behaviour. TfL PHV Driver's Handbook, Section 5

7. TfL normally reviews whether a driver is fit to stay licensed after about blank complaints in two years.

1. two
2. five
3. ten
4. three (correct answer)

Answer: D. three. TfL's current Driver Policy gives this detail, which the Handbook does not. A single serious complaint can also lead to a review. TfL Taxi and Private Hire Driver Policy, v6.0, 4.14.3 (adds to Handbook, Section 5)

8. Your licence was granted on or after 1 July 2025. You must make sure the PHV you drive displays the TfL blank, unless the vehicle is exempt.

1. price list
2. operator logo
3. signage (correct answer)
4. driver rating

Answer: C. signage. This rule is newer than the 2021 Handbook. The signage shows passengers how to complain to TfL. TfL's Driver Policy says all PHVs must display it from 4 January 2027, unless exempt. TfL Taxi and Private Hire Driver Policy, v6.0, 4.8.3; TfL, Apply for a private hire driver licence (updates Handbook, Section 5)

9. A vehicle owner does not like how the new TfL signs look and wants to peel them off. Is this allowed?

1. Yes, if the driver tells the operator first
2. No, signs must stay on while the PHV is licensed (correct answer)
3. Yes, as long as the licence disc is displayed
4. No, unless the vehicle is a wheelchair accessible PHV

Answer: B. No, signs must stay on while the PHV is licensed. This rule came after the 2021 Handbook. Signs must not be removed while the PHV stays licensed, and TfL says appearance is not a valid reason for an exemption. TfL signage guidance for taxi and PHV drivers, v2 (updates Handbook, Section 5)

10. After a trip, you want to message a passenger to ask if they would like to meet for a coffee. Can you use the number from the booking?

1. No, it is a misuse of their personal information (correct answer)
2. Yes, if it was a pleasant and friendly trip
3. Yes, if you wait until the booking is finished
4. No, unless your operator says that it is fine

Answer: A. No, it is a misuse of their personal information. Contacting a passenger for personal or social reasons is unacceptable. It is a misuse of their personal information. TfL PHV Driver's Handbook, Section 5

11. You may use a passenger's contact details only to talk to them about the blank.

1. next offer
2. local news
3. booked journey (correct answer)
4. weekend plans

Answer: C. booked journey. Do not use a passenger's contact details to start talking about anything else. TfL PHV Driver's Handbook, Section 5

12. A passenger seems friendly and likes to laugh. Which of these should you still never joke about?

1. The heavy traffic
2. The rainy weather
3. The local football team
4. Their religion (correct answer)

Answer: D. Their religion. Never make comments or jokes about age, race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity. TfL PHV Driver's Handbook, Section 5

13. You have a responsibility to make sure that passengers feel blank when they travel in your vehicle.

1. rushed
2. watched
3. safe (correct answer)
4. lucky

Answer: C. safe. The way you treat passengers affects how they feel about the journey. Be professional and help them feel at ease. TfL PHV Driver's Handbook, Section 5

14. You may only get into the back seat of your vehicle with passengers on board if there is blank.

1. a traffic jam
2. some lost property
3. an emergency (correct answer)
4. a long wait

Answer: C. an emergency. Getting in the back can make passengers uncomfortable, and your actions could be misunderstood. TfL PHV Driver's Handbook, Section 5

15. Your passenger becomes seriously ill during the journey. You have had no first aid training. What should you do?

1. Check their pulse yourself
2. Call 999 immediately (correct answer)
3. Get in the back to help them
4. Finish the trip and tell the operator

Answer: B. Call 999 immediately. Do not physically check the passenger or give first aid yourself, unless the emergency services or a medical professional tell you how, or you are trained. TfL PHV Driver's Handbook, Section 5

16. Do not give a passenger first aid unless the emergency services tell you what to do, or you have had the right blank.

1. insurance
2. licence
3. equipment
4. training (correct answer)

Answer: D. training. Without training or instructions from the emergency services or a medical professional, your job is to call 999. TfL PHV Driver's Handbook, Section 5

17. A passenger with a disability asks you to help them out of your vehicle. What should you do first?

1. Lift them out straight away
2. Check exactly what help they want (correct answer)
3. Tell them to ask somebody else
4. Hold them firmly round the waist

Answer: B. Check exactly what help they want. Check what help they are asking for, such as holding your arm. Keep physical contact to the minimum needed. TfL PHV Driver's Handbook, Section 5

18. A PHV driver swears at a cyclist and bullies them at a junction. What will TfL do if it learns about this?

1. Review if the driver is fit to hold a licence (correct answer)
2. Nothing, as the cyclist was not a passenger
3. Tell the driver's family about what happened
4. Ask the operator to pay the cyclist some money

Answer: A. Review if the driver is fit to hold a licence. The Handbook says TfL expects good behaviour towards passengers and other road users. The Driver Policy says abuse, bullying or harassment of road users leads to a review. TfL Taxi and Private Hire Driver Policy, v6.0, 4.13.2; TfL PHV Driver's Handbook, Section 5

19. Sexual behaviour between a driver and a passenger is never acceptable, even if blank.

1. both of them agree to it (correct answer)
2. the journey has not started
3. the vehicle is not moving
4. nobody else can see it

Answer: A. both of them agree to it. No type of sexual behaviour with a passenger is acceptable, for any reason. TfL PHV Driver's Handbook, Section 5

20. A passenger has no money and offers you sex instead of the fare. What should you do?

1. Agree if the passenger suggested it
2. Say no, as this is never allowed (correct answer)
3. Agree if no one else is in the car
4. Agree if you do not take any payment

Answer: B. Say no, as this is never allowed. You must never offer or accept sex or sexual activity in place of a fare. TfL PHV Driver's Handbook, Section 5

21. What will happen if you are found to have acted in an unsuitable sexual way towards a passenger?

1. Your operator will speak to you
2. You will have to pay a small fine
3. You will have to repeat the SERU test
4. You will lose your licence (correct answer)

Answer: D. You will lose your licence. TfL or the police will investigate all complaints and reports. The Handbook says you will lose your licence. TfL PHV Driver's Handbook, Section 5

22. A driver who admits to sexual contact with a passenger will lose their licence, even if the driver is not blank.

1. working full time
2. driving their own car
3. on a booked trip
4. charged or convicted (correct answer)

Answer: D. charged or convicted. TfL's Driver Policy says the licence will be revoked in this case, whether the contact was agreed or not, and with or without a charge, caution or conviction. TfL Taxi and Private Hire Driver Policy, v6.0, 4.6.2 (adds to Handbook, Section 5)

23. A passenger gets in wearing a smart dress. Which of these is unacceptable from a driver?

1. Making a comment about how she looks in it (correct answer)
2. Asking her if the air conditioning is too cold
3. Telling her which route you are going to use
4. Telling her when you will reach the destination

Answer: A. Making a comment about how she looks in it. Never make sexual remarks or comments about a passenger's appearance or clothing. TfL PHV Driver's Handbook, Section 5

24. Touching a passenger without their permission could be a blank and will be investigated by the police.

1. civil dispute
2. parking offence
3. customer complaint
4. sexual assault (correct answer)

Answer: D. sexual assault. Avoid physical contact unless it is completely necessary, for example helping someone who needs assistance to get into your vehicle. TfL PHV Driver's Handbook, Section 5

25. A driver wants to show a passenger a rude picture on his phone as a joke. What is the rule?

1. This is allowed if the picture is only a joke
2. Never watch, show or share sexual pictures (correct answer)
3. This is allowed if the passenger is an adult
4. This is allowed if the vehicle is parked

Answer: B. Never watch, show or share sexual pictures. Watching, displaying or sharing pornographic or sexual pictures, or other sexual material, is never acceptable. TfL PHV Driver's Handbook, Section 5

26. Avoid any behaviour that could be understood as sexual, even if you think it is blank.

1. harmless (correct answer)
2. illegal
3. annoying
4. rude

Answer: A. harmless. Think about how your actions might affect a passenger, however good your intentions are. TfL PHV Driver's Handbook, Section 5