On 23 September, the Mayor of London’s London Assembly responded to the question regarding “Disability equality training for taxi drivers”, saying..

This specific topic relates to TfL’s and Mayor of London’s upcoming new Action Plan.  The original Action Plan for London Taxi’s and Private Hire services started in 2016 and saw the introduction of new additional assessment such as the ELR requirements, which then transitioned to the Safety, Equality & Regulatory Understanding (SERU) assessment.

The new Taxi and Private Hire Action plan is currently being worked on by TfL and will most likely be launched early 2025.

One of the things we’ve heard is that TfL is making a Taxi driver’s handbook, similar to the PHV driver’s handbook.  This is with the aim to start a new Taxi Driver SERU assessment towards the end of October 2025.

In the recent comments regarding Disability equality training for taxi drivers, the Mayor of London has shown his approval for such a training course for Private Hire Drivers and mentioned an additional training for licensees.

This could mean that on top of the Topographical Assessment, SERU Assessment and English Speaking & Listening test, drivers may have to complete and pass a new Disability Awareness course.  It may also be the case that this topic is just added to the existing SERU assessment when the updated PHV Drivers Handbook is released.

Disability Awareness training for Private Hire Drivers is not a new thing, as many councils across the UK require Private Hire Drivers to take such courses.  They are usually virtual class-based courses.

We hope this new course is something which can be included in to the existing SERU assessment as the cost and time to do another additional test for PHV drivers will be a financial barrier and add to the already confusing process of applying for a Private Hire drivers licence.

As always, we will keep a close eye on the updates regarding the PHV & Taxi Action Plan 2025 and keep you updated.