SERU reading comprehension: questions and answers

12 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

Items left in your vehicle

This notice is a reminder for private hire drivers about things that passengers leave behind.

When you reach the end of a journey, ask your passenger to look around and check that they have all their belongings. After they leave, look inside the vehicle yourself. Do this after every journey, not only at the end of your shift. If you put a suitcase or bag in the boot for the passenger, open the boot and look there too.

If you find something, tell your operator straight away. The passenger may have called already to ask about it. Then take the item back to your operator. Do not keep it yourself. The operator will look after it and, by law, must write it down in a record.

Most items are ordinary things that someone has forgotten. However, if an item makes you feel suspicious, do not wait. Call the police on 999 and do what they tell you.

According to the notice, when should you look inside your vehicle?
- A. Only at the end of your shift
- B. Only when a passenger calls
- C. After every journey
- D. Once a day before you start
You put a passenger's bag in the boot. What does the notice say you should do?
- A. Ask the passenger to take it out
- B. Look in the boot as well
- C. Tell your operator the bag's weight
- D. Leave the boot closed until later
Why should you tell your operator straight away about an item?
- A. The passenger may have called already
- B. You may have to pay a fine if you wait
- C. The operator will then come to collect it
- D. The police need to be told within the hour
What must the operator do by law?
- A. Call the passenger the same day
- B. Send the item to the police
- C. Pay the driver for returning it
- D. Write the item down in a record
Where should you take an item you find?
- A. To your home until someone asks
- B. To the nearest police station
- C. Back to your operator
- D. To the passenger's pick-up address
An item in your vehicle makes you feel suspicious. What does the notice tell you to do?
- A. Take it back to your operator
- B. Call 999 and do what the police say
- C. Open it to see what is inside
- D. Wait until the end of your shift

Carrying a passenger with an assistance dog

Some passengers travel with an assistance dog. This is a dog with special training that helps a disabled person. This notice explains your duties.

You must accept the passenger, and the dog can sit with them in the footwell. You cannot refuse the passenger because of the dog, and you cannot ask them to pay more money.

These dogs are working animals, not pets. Please do not touch the dog, give it food or do anything that takes its attention away from its work. Some dogs wear a coloured jacket that shows what kind of help they give. Others have no jacket, but they can still be assistance dogs.

If you have a medical reason, such as asthma that gets worse near dogs, you may be able to get an exemption. Contact TfL to apply. If TfL gives you a certificate, you must show an Exemption Notice in your windscreen.

According to the notice, where can the dog sit?
- A. In the footwell with the passenger
- B. In the boot of the vehicle
- C. On the back seat in a cage
- D. In the front next to the driver
Can you ask a passenger to pay more because of the dog?
- A. Yes, if the journey is a long one
- B. Yes, if the dog has no jacket on
- C. Only if your operator agrees to it
- D. No, the notice says you cannot
Why should you not give the dog food?
- A. It may make the dog feel ill
- B. It may make a mess in your vehicle
- C. It is a working animal, not a pet
- D. The passenger has to pay for its food
A passenger's dog has no jacket. What does the notice say?
- A. It cannot be an assistance dog
- B. It can still be an assistance dog
- C. It must travel in the boot instead
- D. You can refuse to carry it
What does a coloured jacket show?
- A. The kind of help the dog gives
- B. The name of the dog's owner
- C. The age and breed of the dog
- D. The date the dog was trained
You have a medical reason and TfL gives you a certificate. What must you do?
- A. Give a copy to every passenger
- B. Carry it in the glove box only
- C. Send it to your operator each year
- D. Show an Exemption Notice in your windscreen

Answers

C. After every journey. The notice says to do this after every journey, not only at the end of your shift.
B. Look in the boot as well. The notice says that if you put a suitcase or bag in the boot, you should open it and look there too.
A. The passenger may have called already. The notice says the passenger may have called already to ask about the item.
D. Write the item down in a record. The notice says the operator must, by law, write the item down in a record.
C. Back to your operator. The notice says to take the item back to your operator and not to keep it yourself.
B. Call 999 and do what the police say. The notice says not to wait. Call the police on 999 and do what they tell you.
A. In the footwell with the passenger. The notice says the dog can sit with the passenger in the footwell.
D. No, the notice says you cannot. The notice says you cannot ask them to pay more money.
C. It is a working animal, not a pet. The notice says these dogs are working animals, not pets, and you should not take their attention away from their work.
B. It can still be an assistance dog. The notice says some dogs have no jacket, but they can still be assistance dogs.
A. The kind of help the dog gives. The notice says a coloured jacket shows what kind of help the dog gives.
D. Show an Exemption Notice in your windscreen. The notice says you must show an Exemption Notice in your windscreen.

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