CONCERNS CALMED: LTDA reassures taxi drivers over new TfL SERU test requirements
- Perry Richardson
- Sep 20
- 2 min read
Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA) General Secretary Steve McNamara has moved to calm concerns around the upcoming Safety, Equality and Regulatory Understanding (SERU) assessment that licensed taxi drivers in London are required to complete when renewing their licence.
Rumours had circulated suggesting the SERU test was a Transport for London (TfL) initiative, applied only to cab drivers in the capital, and that failure would lead to an immediate loss of licence. McNamara addressed these claims directly, describing them as misleading and exaggerated.
He confirmed that the SERU requirement stems from the Department for Transport’s 2020 statutory standards, which set out a national framework aimed at ensuring all taxi and private hire drivers meet safeguarding and English language competency benchmarks. As such, the SERU test or its equivalent will be implemented by all licensing authorities across the country, not just in London.
The private hire sector has already been subject to a similar standard for several years, with first-time pass rates of between 80% and 90%. McNamara said Knowledge-qualified drivers, already required to demonstrate a good standard of English, should have no difficulty with the SERU content.
To support members, the LTDA has confirmed it will offer revision and retest support for anyone who does not pass first time. A dedicated class will run at Taxi House to help drivers prepare before resitting the test with TfL.
McNamara stressed that while the new test may be inconvenient, the LTDA stands ready to assist any member affected, with both licensing and legal support available where needed.
McNamara said in TAXI Newspaper: “A rumour, more of a scare story, concerning the new Safety Equality and Regulatory Understanding (SERU) test that we will all have to take ahead of renewing your bill.
“The storytellers insisted it was only London cabbies that had to do it, and that it was all down to Transport for London (TfL), how it was incredibly difficult and if you failed you lost your bill immediately.
“The truth is that in 2020 the Department for Transport (DfT) published the taxi and private hire statutory standards which required all licensing authorities to implement standards that ensured all drivers are competent in safeguarding and English language skills.
“Every taxi and private hire driver in the country will have to do a similar test at some time, this is not just TfL. The private hire trade has been required to take a similar test for the past few years, and their first-time pass rate has been in the region of 80-90%.
“Anyone who has passed the Knowledge, with this level of English, will have no problems. In the extremely unlikely event that any of our members fail the test, we will run a retest class here at Taxi House that members can attend before resitting the test at TfL. Having to do the SERU will, at worst, be a pain but, as always, the LTDA is here for our members.
“We have your back. And any member who has any difficulties or problems as a result of SERU, or anything else for that matter, will have our full licensing and legal team by their side to ensure they remain licensed and able to provide for their families.”
