Taxi Knowledge Test
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SERU journeys: questions and answers

34 practice questions for the TfL SERU assessment, with answers and explanations at the end.

Free from taxiknowledgetest.co.uk. Not an official council or TfL document: check the current official guidance.

Questions

Bookings

  1. As a London PHV driver, which bookings can you carry out?

    • A. Any booking a friend passes to you
    • B. Only bookings from a licensed London operator
    • C. Any booking from a person on the street
    • D. Any booking from a hotel's front desk

  2. You must carry out bookings in a London licensed PHV with on display, unless it is exempt.

    • A. a roof sign
    • B. a fare chart
    • C. a taxi plate
    • D. PHV licence discs

  3. A person outside your operator's office waves at you and asks for a ride. They have no booking. Can you take them?

    • A. Yes, because you are outside your operator's office
    • B. Yes, if they pay the fare in cash before you set off
    • C. No, they must first book through a licensed operator
    • D. Yes, if your operator's office is closed for the night

  4. You must not let a passenger get in your vehicle before you have .

    • A. checked their ID
    • B. agreed a cash price
    • C. received the booking
    • D. seen their luggage

  5. A person with no booking comes up to you and asks how to get a PHV. What can you give them?

    • A. A business card with your operator's number
    • B. A lift to your operator's office
    • C. A price for the trip, paid to you in cash
    • D. A seat in your vehicle while you phone it in

  6. You must not make any sign or say anything that suggests you are without a booking.

    • A. available for hire
    • B. a licensed driver
    • C. on your way home
    • D. waiting for someone

  7. A company you have not heard of offers you work. You are not sure it is licensed. What should you do?

    • A. Ask a passenger if they have used it before
    • B. Take one booking and see if any problems come
    • C. Ask for its licence number and use TfL's checker
    • D. Ask another driver and accept if they say yes

  8. TfL's online shows the details of all licensed private hire drivers, vehicles and operators.

    • A. journey planner
    • B. licence checker
    • C. status updates page
    • D. fare calculator

Booking details and fares

  1. Who must record the details of a booking before the journey starts?

    • A. Your operator
    • B. You, the driver
    • C. The passenger
    • D. TfL

  2. The operator's booking record must show the agreed fare or .

    • A. the size of the tip
    • B. the driver's earnings
    • C. the estimated fare
    • D. the passenger's address

  3. Which of these must your operator record for each booking?

    • A. The passenger's date of birth
    • B. The driver's home address
    • C. The passenger's card number
    • D. The vehicle's registration or other ID

  4. TfL has to set or control the fares that PHV operators charge.

    • A. full power
    • B. some power
    • C. no power
    • D. shared power

  5. Who must agree a fare with the passenger, or give an accurate estimate, before the journey?

    • A. TfL
    • B. The operator
    • C. The driver
    • D. The vehicle owner

  6. During a journey, your passenger asks you to pick up a friend. When should you tell your operator?

    • A. As soon as it is safe
    • B. At the end of the day
    • C. At your next renewal
    • D. Only if they complain

  7. Your passenger says the fare is wrong at the end of the journey. How should you be ready for this?

    • A. Ask TfL to set a fair price on the phone
    • B. Lock the doors until you have the money
    • C. Tell the passenger the trip is now free
    • D. Check with your operator in advance what to do

Late-night venues, airports and outside London

  1. Your operator is licensed at a nightclub. Where can it take bookings?

    • A. Anywhere on the pavement outside
    • B. Only at the booking location on its licence
    • C. In any bar in the same street
    • D. From drivers parked at the door

  2. If you approach people outside a late-night venue to offer them a ride, you may be .

    • A. committing an offence
    • B. doing nothing wrong
    • C. acting within the rules
    • D. breaking only a venue rule

  3. People leaving a pub come up to your parked PHV and ask for a ride home. What should you do?

    • A. Take them if you agree a price first
    • B. Take them if the pub's owner agrees
    • C. Tell them to book with a licensed operator
    • D. Take them if it is a very short trip

  4. While you wait near an operating centre, you should not leave your running.

    • A. radio
    • B. sat nav
    • C. heater
    • D. engine

  5. Who is responsible for the parking, noise and behaviour of a driver waiting near a late-night venue?

    • A. The venue's owner
    • B. The driver
    • C. The door staff
    • D. The local police

  6. Airports are private property and can make their own rules, called .

    • A. byelaws
    • B. statutes
    • C. licences
    • D. charters

  7. You have no booking yet and want to wait at Heathrow. Where can you wait?

    • A. A local car park near the airport
    • B. A quiet residential street nearby
    • C. An official car park or the PHV Authorised Vehicle Area
    • D. The airport taxi rank if it is empty

  8. When you pick up passengers at Heathrow Airport, you must always use .

    • A. the taxi rank
    • B. an official car park
    • C. a local car park
    • D. a residential street

  9. Your passenger is at Terminal 5 at Heathrow and asks you to use the taxi rank. What is the rule?

    • A. You may use it to drop off only
    • B. You may use it if it is not busy
    • C. You may use it with a booking
    • D. You must not use it at all

  10. A journey that starts or ends outside Greater London is allowed if a licensed London operator has .

    • A. told the local council
    • B. accepted the booking
    • C. paid an extra fee
    • D. told TfL first

Lost property, suspicious items and refusals

  1. You should check your vehicle for lost property after .

    • A. every journey
    • B. every shift
    • C. every week
    • D. every night

  2. You find a phone on the back seat after a journey. What should you do?

    • A. Keep it safe at home until someone calls
    • B. Post it to TfL's lost property office
    • C. Give it to the next passenger to hand in
    • D. Tell your operator and take it back to them

  3. You feel suspicious about an item left unattended in your vehicle. What should you do?

    • A. Call 999 and follow the instructions
    • B. Open it and see what is inside
    • C. Take it to your operator straight away
    • D. Put it on the pavement and drive away

  4. You can report suspicious activity to the confidential police anti-terrorist hotline on .

    • A. 0800 555 111
    • B. 116 123
    • C. 0800 789 321
    • D. 101

  5. Something feels wrong about a person's behaviour, but you worry about wasting police time. What does the Handbook say?

    • A. Report it, and the police will decide if it matters
    • B. Wait until you have strong evidence first
    • C. Ask the person to explain what they are doing
    • D. Tell only your operator and wait for a reply

  6. Your booked passengers have open cans of alcohol, and you do not feel safe. What can you do?

    • A. Take them but charge a higher fare
    • B. Refuse politely and explain why
    • C. Drive off and say nothing to them
    • D. Refuse and report them to the DVLA

  7. If you do not carry out a booking, you must tell your operator .

    • A. the full reasons
    • B. the fare you lost
    • C. your next location
    • D. only the passenger's name

  8. You refused a booking. Who must find another driver, or make clear to the passenger that it is cancelled?

    • A. You, the driver
    • B. TfL
    • C. The passenger
    • D. The operator

  9. A driver can ask for an exemption from carrying assistance dogs only on grounds.

    • A. religious
    • B. cost
    • C. medical
    • D. cleaning

Answers

  1. B. Only bookings from a licensed London operator. You can only carry out bookings you received from a licensed London PHV operator.
  2. D. PHV licence discs. You must use a London licensed PHV with its licence discs on display, unless it has an exemption.
  3. C. No, they must first book through a licensed operator. A PHV is not a taxi. Without a booking through a licensed operator you cannot pick someone up, even on the street outside your operator's office.
  4. C. received the booking. The booking must come from your operator before any passenger gets into your vehicle.
  5. A. A business card with your operator's number. You may hand out a business card with your operator's number, or other contact details such as a website.
  6. A. available for hire. Without a booking, you must not suggest to the public that you are available for hire. You must not encourage them to approach you either.
  7. C. Ask for its licence number and use TfL's checker. Never accept a booking from an unlicensed operator. Ask for the operator's licence number and check it with TfL's online tool.
  8. B. licence checker. TfL's licence checker is a public register. You and anyone else can use it.
  9. A. Your operator. Your operator must record them. You are not personally responsible for this, but you should know about it.
  10. C. the estimated fare. The record must include the agreed fare or the estimated fare.
  11. D. The vehicle's registration or other ID. The record must identify the vehicle, by its registration number or another way. It must also identify the driver.
  12. C. no power. TfL cannot set or control PHV fares. But customers must understand the fare they will be charged.
  13. B. The operator. This is your operator's job, and it must be done before the journey starts.
  14. A. As soon as it is safe. Tell your operator as soon as it is safe, so it can update the fare or the estimate. The same applies to a new destination or extra luggage.
  15. D. Check with your operator in advance what to do. Check with your operator what to do if a passenger disagrees with the fare or cannot pay. Also check how receipts work.
  16. B. Only at the booking location on its licence. An operator at a late-night venue can only take bookings inside the venue, at the location on its licence.
  17. A. committing an offence. This may be an offence and you could be prosecuted. Passengers must book through a licensed London operator.
  18. C. Tell them to book with a licensed operator. You can only accept a fare booked through a licensed London operator. Tell them to contact one and make a booking.
  19. D. engine. Do not leave your engine running. Think about noise and the people who live in the area.
  20. B. The driver. You are responsible for where you park, for the noise your vehicle makes, and for your own behaviour.
  21. A. byelaws. Airports can make byelaws about taxis and PHVs. Heathrow has its own, and you should know about them if you get a booking there.
  22. C. An official car park or the PHV Authorised Vehicle Area. You can enter Heathrow to wait in an official car park or the PHV Authorised Vehicle Area. Do not wait in local car parks or residential streets.
  23. B. an official car park. When picking up at Heathrow, you must always use an official car park.
  24. D. You must not use it at all. Only black cabs may use the ranks at Heathrow and London City Airport. A PHV can't stop or wait there, or use them to pick up or set down.
  25. B. accepted the booking. The journey is allowed in a London licensed PHV if a licensed London operator accepted the booking. If you are not sure, ask your operator.
  26. A. every journey. Check after every journey, and remember to check the boot if you put luggage there.
  27. D. Tell your operator and take it back to them. Take lost property to your operator and tell them as soon as you can. The passenger may have already been in touch.
  28. A. Call 999 and follow the instructions. If you are suspicious of an unattended item, call the police on 999 immediately and do what they tell you.
  29. C. 0800 789 321. The confidential anti-terrorist hotline is 0800 789 321.
  30. A. Report it, and the police will decide if it matters. Do not worry about wasting police time. The police decide if the information is important, and they keep it private.
  31. B. Refuse politely and explain why. You may feel unable to take them in this situation. If you refuse, be polite and explain why, as this could help avoid a complaint.
  32. A. the full reasons. Your operator needs to know exactly why the booking wasn't done.
  33. D. The operator. The operator accepted the booking, so it must arrange another driver or tell the passenger it is cancelled.
  34. C. medical. You must not refuse a passenger because of a disability or an assistance dog. TfL's current page says a driver can ask for an exemption from carrying these dogs only on medical grounds.

Sources

  • Private Hire Vehicle Driver's Handbook, version 1.0, Transport for London, published 30 September 2021. Checked 1 November 2026. https://content.tfl.gov.uk/phv-driver-handbook-v1.pdf
  • Apply for a private hire driver licence, Transport for London, Undated web page.. Checked 1 November 2026. https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/taxis-and-private-hire/licensing/private-hire-driver-licence