DAILY TAXI CHECKS: Wolverhampton Council ‘leading the way’ as new DAILY automated DBS checks arrive

City of Wolverhampton Council’s Licensing Services are ‘leading the way with public safety’ with daily checks of taxi drivers’ criminal records now being undertaken.

The council is believed to be the first to have invested in automated systems which can check drivers’ criminal records with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) every day of the week, as opposed to manually checking every six months, as recommended by the Department for Transport (DfT).

Under the new automated system, created in partnership with the Disclosure and Barring Service, officers receive a report alerting them to any new information listed on a driver’s certificate. Where new information is found, the Council can now take swifter enforcement action against the driver in question.

As part of the Statutory Taxi & Private Hire Vehicle Standards, published by the DfT, drivers must either be registered to the DBS Update Service or provide an Enhanced DBS Certificate every six months to allow for a check to be undertaken.

The Update Service allows drivers to register their certificate and pay an annual subscription, as opposed to buying a new certificate every six months.

Councillor Phil Page, chair of the council’s regulatory committee, said: “City of Wolverhampton Council is believed to be the first licensing authority in the country to carry out daily criminal record checks on drivers to help ensure the safety of passengers.

"By launching this system, we’re leading the way with public safety. It’s a fantastic achievement which provides far greater protections for the public than required by Government.

“We’re not aware of any other licensing authority doing daily checks on drivers and believe that we are the first to do so.

“Wolverhampton have always been at the forefront of implementing stringent taxi licensing standards and we will continue to use the latest technology to ensure both public and passenger safety.”