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Why taxi drivers may need to tell their council about an arrest within 48 hours even when no charge follows
An arrest does not prove guilt. It can however still create an immediate licensing obligation for a taxi driver, private hire driver or operator.
The Department for Transport (DfT) recommends that licence holders notify their issuing authority within 48 hours of being arrested and released, charged or convicted of specified offences. These include sexual offences, offences involving dishonesty or violence and motoring offences.
Many councils have adopted that recommendation through licence conditions or policy. Some go further by requiring reports of every arrest, caution or conviction, while others use different timescales or offence categories.
The first rule is therefore local rather than universal. Drivers should read their own licence conditions and convictions policy instead of assuming that a neighbouring council’s form, deadline or reporting threshold applies.
London illustrates the variation. Transport for London (TfL) requires all licensed taxi drivers to report arrests and releases, charges, cautions and convictions for any offence within 48 hours. The same condition applies to PHV driver licences granted on or after 1 July 2024, while transitional arrangements have applied to older licences.
A report should not be delayed because the driver believes the allegation is mistaken. Self-reporting is not an admission of guilt. It gives the licensing authority the information needed to decide whether any interim action is required.
Nor should a licence holder assume that the police, solicitor, court or DVLA will notify the council. TfL’s guidance expressly places that responsibility on the licence holder.
Useful information normally includes the driver’s name, licence number, nature and date of the event, police station or court details where applicable and any bail, sentence or driving-licence outcome. Written submission provides an evidential trail.
Fixed penalties require attention too and local policies vary over which notices must be declared and when. A parking Penalty Charge Notice is not the same as a criminal fixed penalty or a motoring endorsement, so drivers should avoid treating every notice as interchangeable.
The council’s next step depends on risk. The Department says an arrest for an offence within the recommended scope should result in a review of whether the person remains fit to hold the licence.
A review does not automatically require suspension or revocation. The authority should examine the allegation, available evidence, connection to licensed work, seriousness, recency and potential risk to passengers.
Licensing decisions are not criminal trials. The criminal court asks whether an offence has been proved beyond reasonable doubt. A licensing authority considers whether it remains satisfied that the person is fit and proper, using the civil standard and its public-protection responsibilities.
That means an acquittal or police decision to take no further action may not always end the licensing inquiry. Equally, an arrest alone should not be presented as proof that misconduct occurred.
Authorities need enough reliable information to make a proportionate decision. Police and licensing bodies now have specific government guidance supporting lawful information sharing in taxi and PHV cases.
Where an authority suspends or revokes a driver for safeguarding or road-safety reasons, the Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Safeguarding and Road Safety) Act 2022 can require information to be entered on the national licensing database. Councils must also check the database when considering relevant applications and renewals.
Failure to report can become a separate concern. Even if the underlying matter would not have ended the licence, withholding it may raise questions about honesty, judgement and compliance with licence conditions.
Operators should build notification duties into driver onboarding and compliance reminders without attempting to replace the driver’s personal responsibility. A controller learning about a serious incident should know how it must be escalated internally.
Drivers should keep the licensing authority’s current reporting address or online form readily available. A 48-hour limit leaves little room to search for the correct process after release from custody or receipt of a charge.
Where custody, illness or another genuine obstacle prevents an on-time report, the driver should notify the authority as soon as possible and explain the delay. Silence is usually harder to defend than a prompt, factual account.
A criminal allegation and a licensing decision can proceed on separate tracks. The safest response is early disclosure, accurate records and proper advice rather than waiting for the criminal case to finish.
