TfL SERU Assessment questions and answers
15 free sample questions in the style of the real test, each with the answer and a short explanation, grouped by topic. The real TfL SERU Assessment has ~36 questions: you need 60% to pass, in ~60 minutes.
Passenger, road and vehicle safety
This topic covers your duty to keep passengers and other road users safe, from carrying only the number of passengers you're licensed and insured for to knowing what to do after a collision. It's about the practical, everyday safety habits TfL expects of a professional driver.
Key facts
- You may only carry the number of passengers your vehicle is licensed and insured to carry — never more.
- Licensed private hire vehicles are smoke-free; smoking is not allowed inside the vehicle.
- After a collision you must stop, exchange details, and report it to the police and your insurer as required.
- Keeping the vehicle roadworthy — valid MOT, tyres, lights and brakes — is your responsibility, not just the operator's.
1. A group asks you to take more passengers than your vehicle is licensed and insured to carry. What should you do?
- A. Carry them all to keep the customer happy
- B. Only carry up to the number you're licensed and insured for
- C. Carry the extra passengers if the journey is short
- D. Let one sit in the front footwell
Show answer
Answer: B. Only carry up to the number you're licensed and insured for
You must never exceed the number of passengers your vehicle is licensed and insured to carry — doing so is unsafe and invalidates your insurance.
2. Smoking inside a licensed private hire vehicle is:
- A. Allowed if the passenger asks
- B. Allowed with the windows open
- C. Not allowed — it's a smoke-free vehicle
- D. Allowed for the driver only
Show answer
Answer: C. Not allowed — it's a smoke-free vehicle
Licensed vehicles are smoke-free workplaces. Neither the driver nor passengers may smoke inside.
3. You're involved in a road traffic collision while working. What must you do?
- A. Drive on if the damage looks minor
- B. Stop, exchange details, and report it as required
- C. Only report it if a passenger asks you to
- D. Wait until your shift ends to deal with it
Show answer
Answer: B. Stop, exchange details, and report it as required
You must stop, exchange details with anyone involved, and report the collision to the police and your insurer where required.
Safeguarding children and adults at risk
Safeguarding means protecting children and adults at risk from harm and abuse. As a licensed driver you're in a position to notice when something isn't right, and TfL expects you to report concerns to the authorities rather than ignore them or try to investigate yourself.
Key facts
- Safeguarding is about protecting children and adults at risk from harm and abuse.
- An 'adult at risk' is someone unable to protect themselves because of age, disability, or mental illness.
- Your role is to recognise and report concerns — not to investigate them yourself.
- If you believe someone is in immediate danger, call 999; use 101 for non-emergency police concerns.
1. 'Safeguarding' is best described as:
- A. Protecting your vehicle from damage
- B. Protecting children and adults at risk from harm and abuse
- C. Keeping your licence documents safe
- D. Locking the doors during a journey
Show answer
Answer: B. Protecting children and adults at risk from harm and abuse
Safeguarding is about protecting vulnerable people — children and adults at risk — from harm and abuse.
2. You pick up a distressed young person late at night who appears to be controlled by an older adult. You're concerned they may be at risk. You should:
- A. Ignore it — it's not your business
- B. Confront the older adult directly
- C. Report your concern to the police
- D. Refuse the booking and drive away
Show answer
Answer: C. Report your concern to the police
Your role is to report concerns so the authorities can act. Don't investigate or confront anyone yourself.
3. If you believe a child is in immediate danger, you should call:
- A. 101
- B. 111
- C. 999
- D. Your operator only
Show answer
Answer: C. 999
In an emergency where someone is in immediate danger, call 999. Use 101 for non-emergency police matters.
Equality, disability and the Equality Act 2010
The Equality Act 2010 protects people with certain characteristics from discrimination. For drivers, that means treating passengers fairly regardless of who they are, making reasonable adjustments where needed, and carrying assistance dogs and wheelchair users without charging more.
Key facts
- The Equality Act 2010 protects characteristics including age, disability, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, and pregnancy.
- You must carry a passenger's assistance dog at no extra charge unless you hold a medical exemption certificate.
- Charging a wheelchair user or disabled passenger more for the same journey is unlawful discrimination.
- Making reasonable adjustments — such as helping with a wheelchair — is part of your legal duty.
1. A passenger with a guide dog books your vehicle. Unless you hold a medical exemption certificate, you must:
- A. Refuse the booking
- B. Charge extra to clean the vehicle
- C. Carry the passenger and their assistance dog at no extra charge
- D. Ask them to hold the dog on their lap only
Show answer
Answer: C. Carry the passenger and their assistance dog at no extra charge
Unless you have a medical exemption certificate, you must carry assistance dogs at no additional charge. Refusing is unlawful.
2. Which of these is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010?
- A. The car you drive
- B. Disability
- C. How far someone is travelling
- D. The time of day
Show answer
Answer: B. Disability
Disability is one of the nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.
3. Charging a wheelchair user more than other passengers for the same journey is:
- A. Fine if loading takes longer
- B. Allowed with the operator's permission
- C. Unlawful discrimination
- D. Only a problem in central London
Show answer
Answer: C. Unlawful discrimination
Charging a disabled passenger more for the same journey is unlawful discrimination under the Equality Act 2010.
Regulatory understanding: the PHV (London) Act and TfL rules
Private hire in London is governed by the PHV (London) Act 1998. This topic covers the rules that make a journey legal — bookings through a licensed operator, the three licences involved, and your duty to keep TfL informed of anything that affects your fitness to hold a licence.
Key facts
- Private hire in London is regulated under the PHV (London) Act 1998.
- PHV journeys must be pre-booked through a licensed operator — you can't ply for hire or pick up in the street.
- Three licences are needed to operate legally: driver, vehicle, and operator.
- You must tell TfL about relevant changes, including a new address, medical conditions affecting driving, or a conviction.
1. Someone hails your private hire vehicle in the street and asks for a ride. You should:
- A. Accept — a fare is a fare
- B. Decline — PHV journeys must be pre-booked through a licensed operator
- C. Accept only if you're not busy
- D. Accept if they pay cash
Show answer
Answer: B. Decline — PHV journeys must be pre-booked through a licensed operator
Unlike black taxis, private hire vehicles can't ply for hire. Every journey must be pre-booked through a licensed operator.
2. Under the PHV (London) Act 1998, which three licences are needed to operate legally?
- A. Driver, vehicle and operator licences
- B. Driver, insurance and MOT
- C. Operator, council and TfL
- D. Driver and vehicle only
Show answer
Answer: A. Driver, vehicle and operator licences
Legal private hire in London requires three separate TfL licences: the driver, the vehicle, and the operator.
3. If you're convicted of an offence while licensed, you must:
- A. Only mention it at renewal
- B. Notify TfL
- C. Tell your operator instead of TfL
- D. Do nothing unless asked
Show answer
Answer: B. Notify TfL
You must notify TfL of a conviction — it affects your fitness to hold a licence.
Dealing with passengers and difficult situations
Beyond the rules, SERU checks that you can handle real situations well: returning lost property, keeping calm during a dispute, and knowing the difference between a legitimate reason to refuse a journey and unlawful discrimination.
Key facts
- Lost property should be kept safe and returned to the passenger or handed in — never kept.
- You can refuse a journey for a legitimate safety reason, but never because of a protected characteristic.
- Staying calm and de-escalating is the safest response to an aggressive or upset passenger.
- Professional, respectful service is part of what TfL expects from every licensed driver.
1. A passenger leaves a phone in your vehicle. The right thing to do is:
- A. Keep it — finders keepers
- B. Keep it safe and arrange to return it or hand it in as lost property
- C. Sell it to cover your time
- D. Leave it at the roadside
Show answer
Answer: B. Keep it safe and arrange to return it or hand it in as lost property
Lost property must be kept safe and returned to the owner or handed in — never kept for yourself.
2. You may legitimately refuse a journey when:
- A. You don't like the passenger's appearance
- B. There's a genuine safety reason
- C. The passenger has an assistance dog
- D. The fare seems too low
Show answer
Answer: B. There's a genuine safety reason
A genuine safety reason can justify refusing a journey. Refusing because of a protected characteristic is unlawful.
3. A passenger becomes aggressive about the fare. Your best first response is to:
- A. Argue back firmly
- B. Stay calm and try to de-escalate, prioritising safety
- C. Speed up to end the journey sooner
- D. Refuse to speak to them at all
Show answer
Answer: B. Stay calm and try to de-escalate, prioritising safety
Staying calm and de-escalating keeps everyone safe. Prioritise safety over winning the argument.
Want the full question bank?
SeruPass Pro adds every question for every topic and full-length ~36 questions mock tests against the clock, scored against the real 60% pass mark — with your mistakes saved so you can retry them.
See SeruPass ProThese are original practice questions written by the SeruPass team from the official study material — not real test questions. Always check the latest details with Transport for London — SERU.