In message , at 19:02:56 on Tue, 6 Oct
2015, JNugent remarked:
Are they perhaps (in London, anyway) "checking that a driver has been
vetted". The system in other cities may well be different.

No, it isn't.

The system is exactly the same in London and the rest of E&W: the
operator has to check that drivers to whom he sub-contracts (or
provides) work are licensed and insured.

Vetting also includes criminal records....

Which, of course, a private company cannot do.

That's one reason why local authorities are involved in the vetting
process.

And checking insurance on the
day they join doesn't guarantee they are insured the day after.

True.

But taking the example of a taxi (a proper taxi, I mean) where the
proprietor/driver does not work for or via anyone but himself, the only
foolproof way of checking continuous insurance would be for the
licensing authority to check it every day.

That might be thought to be a bit much. But checking at least once
every few months (and ensuring that the certificate demonstrates a
logical audit trail of uninterrupted cover) is easier and less onerous.

The "Uber issue" is that every driver provides his own insurance. If
Uber had fleet insurance, as I gather most minicab companies do, then
there's several orders of magnitude less paperwork to check.
--
Roland Perry