Help Center
Why TfL Compliance Should Be Your Primary Filter When Choosing Dispatch Software
1. What ‘TfL‑compliant’ really means in 2025
From 1 July 2024 Transport for London (TfL) introduced a tighter set of conditions for licensed Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) operators. Key points include:
- Staff Register & DBS – Operators must keep a live register of everyone who takes bookings or dispatches vehicles, plus their basic DBS reference and date; records kept for 12 months.
- Expanded Booking Records – Each booking must capture who accepted it, who dispatched it, the driver’s PHV licence number and the vehicle’s VRM.
- 48‑hour Offence Reporting – Operators and associated individuals must self‑report arrests, cautions or convictions within 48 hours.
- Data Retention & Audit – Booking and staff‑register data must remain accessible for inspection for at least 12 months.
Failing any of the above can lead to suspended or revoked licences, financial penalties and unannounced TfL compliance inspections.
2. Checklist for a ‘TfL‑ready’ dispatch platform
| Function | Why it matters | Must‑have indicators |
|---|---|---|
| Staff register module | Satisfies TfL DfT 8 (staff & DBS) | In‑app register, DBS expiry alerts |
| Job‑record auto‑population | Meets TfL DfT 9 booking‑record fields | Accept/dispatch user IDs auto‑logged |
| Driver‑licence allocation controls | Prevents unlicensed driver allocation | Allocation screen hides expired licences |
| Audit exports | Speeds up TfL inspections | One‑click CSV/PDF of last 12 months |
| Granular user rights | Maps to TfL’s ‘associated individuals’ definition | Role‑based access, per‑user audit trail |
| Secure retention & GDPR | Protects sensitive DBS data | UK/EU cloud hosting, encryption at rest |
3. How INSOFTDEV SmartCar clears the bar
- Driver‑Licensing Compliance – Version 2023.10 introduced an automatic cap on visible drivers in the allocation list and flags those outside licence constraints, “allowing you to be compliant with TfL driver licensing” (Backoffice release note SCW‑160, Oct 2023).
- Full Booking‑Record Schema – Every accept/dispatch action, driver licence No. and VRM are auto‑logged and exportable to CSV.
- Staff & DBS Register – Built‑in “Staff” tab records DBS reference/date and blocks log‑ins where checks have expired.
- 12‑month, UK‑based retention – Bookings and staff registers stored for a minimum of 12 months on UK/EU AWS centres, ready for TfL audits.
- One‑click Audit Pack – Generates the exact PDF/CSV bundle TfL requests during inspections.
- Proven in the field – London fleets such as 247 Airport Transfer have used SmartCar since 2014 and passed repeated TfL renewals.
4. Next steps for operators
- Benchmark your current system against the checklist above.
- Book a SmartCar demo to see its TfL audit workflow end‑to‑end.
- Run a mock inspection – export the audit pack and confirm everything maps to TfL’s operator guide.
- Sleep easier knowing licence renewals and ad‑hoc inspections won’t derail your operation.
