Nobody drives a ZeroLanes journey until we have checked who they are and what they are driving. This is the part of the job we treat as not negotiable.
Getting into a car with someone you have never met is an act of trust. Putting your child into one is an even bigger one. That trust has to be earned before the journey, not after it, and it is earned by checking the right documents, keeping them in date and acting when they lapse. Here is what we check, and why.
1. Private hire licences
Every driver holds a private hire driver’s licence from a local licensing authority, and we check it before they take a journey. In England and Wales, these licences are issued by local councils, and in London by Transport for London, not by a single national body. Each council sets its own standards and checks.
To get a private hire driver’s licence, a driver must usually pass checks on their background, their driving record, their health and their knowledge of the area. The council decides whether they are a fit and proper person to carry passengers. It is a serious process, and not everyone passes.
Because licences are issued locally, we record which authority issued each one, as well as its expiry date. That way, we know exactly where each licence came from. A licence from one council is checked just as carefully as a licence from another.
Every driver must also hold a full driving licence, and we check that too. A private hire licence does not replace an ordinary driving licence. Both have to be valid.
2. DBS checks
Every driver’s DBS check is verified. This matters for everyone, and especially for school runs. DBS stands for the Disclosure and Barring Service, the body that carries out criminal record checks in England and Wales.
Drivers of private hire cars usually need an enhanced DBS check, the most thorough level, because they may be alone with passengers, including children and vulnerable adults. It shows relevant criminal records and other information held by the police. Councils consider it when deciding whether to grant a licence.
A DBS check is a snapshot on the day it was issued, so its date matters. We record it, alongside the driver’s other documents. A driver whose check is not verified is not offered journeys.
For parents, knowing that the driver taking their child to school has been through these checks is essential. It is one of the most important things we do. Nobody should have to wonder.
3. Hire and reward insurance
Ordinary car insurance does not cover carrying paying passengers. We check the right insurance is in place. Without it, a passenger could be left without cover if something went wrong.
Hire and reward insurance is the specialist cover that private hire cars need, because they carry passengers for a fare. It is more expensive than ordinary car insurance, and some drivers are tempted to go without it. We do not let anyone drive for us without it.
Insurance policies have a start date and an end date, and they must be renewed. We record when each policy runs out. A car whose insurance has lapsed is off the road with us until it is renewed.
If you are ever in an accident in a private hire car, the right insurance is what protects you. It is not something to take on trust. That is why we check.
4. MOTs and vehicle licences
Every car must be roadworthy and licensed for private hire. That means a current MOT and a private hire vehicle licence from a local council. Both are checked before the car is offered work.
The MOT is the annual test of a car’s safety, roadworthiness and emissions, for cars more than three years old. Brakes, lights, tyres, seatbelts and much more are checked. A car without a current MOT should not be on the road at all.
A private hire vehicle licence is issued by the council, and it shows that the car meets the council’s standards for carrying passengers. Many councils test private hire cars more often than the ordinary MOT. Licensed cars usually carry a plate or a sticker to show it.
We record the expiry date of every MOT and every vehicle licence. When one runs out, the car is off the road with us until it is renewed. A clean, safe, licensed car is the least our passengers should expect.
5. Expiry dates, not just documents
We record when each document runs out. When one lapses, that driver or that car is off the road with us until it is renewed. A document that was valid last year may not be valid today.
Many checks are done once and then forgotten. A licence is checked when a driver joins, and nobody looks again until something goes wrong. We do it differently.
Reminders go out as each expiry date approaches, a month ahead and again as the date gets close. That gives drivers time to renew before the deadline. A licence that lapses without warning would take a car off the road in the middle of the week, so the reminders help everyone.
If a document does lapse, the driver or car is not offered journeys until the new one has been checked. The rule is the same for every driver and every car. It is simple, and it is strict, and that is the point.
And every live journey carries an emergency alert that reaches a person rather than a queue.
Ride with ZeroLanes. A car booked ahead, at a price fixed before you confirm, with the driver and the car on your journey page before pickup. Book a school run.