A Parent's Guide · Updated 2026
DBS-checked school transport: what parents should actually verify
"All our drivers are DBS checked" appears on every transport website — including ours. But the phrase covers several very different levels of check, and it's only one of the things that matter when your child travels without you. Here's what the checks really cover, what licensing guarantees, and the seven questions worth asking before any provider drives your child.
1. What "DBS checked" actually means
The Disclosure and Barring Service issues three levels of check, and the word "checked" alone doesn't tell you which:
- Basic — unspent convictions only. Anyone can obtain one about themselves.
- Standard — spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands.
- Enhanced — everything above plus relevant local police information, and where the role is regulated activity with children, a check of the children's barred list.
For anyone regularly transporting children, enhanced is the level that matters. In London, that question is settled by regulation: TfL requires every private hire driver to pass an enhanced DBS check as a condition of holding a licence at all, alongside a medical assessment — so on a TfL-licensed operator like RushXO (Operator 11588), every driver on every journey has cleared the enhanced check, school run or not. Outside London, licensing sits with local authorities and standards are broadly similar — but that's exactly why you verify rather than assume.
2. What the operator licence adds
Driver checks are half the picture. The operator licence is what makes the journey traceable and insured: bookings recorded, driver and vehicle allocated by name at booking, hire-and-reward insurance in force, complaints route to a regulator. Any legitimate operator will hand over their licence number without hesitation — and you can check it yourself on the regulator's public register (TfL's is searchable online). If a provider hesitates on this question, that's your answer.
The 7 questions to ask any school transport provider
- "What's your operator licence number?" — then verify it on the public register.
- "Do all drivers hold enhanced DBS checks?" — enhanced specifically, not "DBS checked".
- "Will it be the same driver each day?" — consistency is safeguarding: your child should know who's collecting them, and so should you (name + registration in advance).
- "How do you handle child seats?" — under UK law, taxis/private hire have exemptions, but a good provider fits appropriate seats for under-12s when arranged at booking rather than relying on the exemption.
- "What happens if no one is at drop-off?" — there should be a stated procedure: driver waits, calls listed contacts, never leaves a child unattended.
- "How are parents updated?" — pickup confirmation and arrival notification, by message or call, as standard on children's journeys.
- "Can I see proof of insurance?" — hire-and-reward cover, held by the operator, current.
3. How RushXO runs school transport
- Enhanced-DBS, TfL-licensed drivers on every journey — verifiable, Operator 11588.
- The same named driver wherever the schedule allows — familiar faces for daily runs, term transfers and exeat weekends.
- Name and registration shared in advance of every pickup; parents notified at collection and arrival on request.
- Child seats arranged at booking for under-12s — tell us ages and we bring the right seats.
- The no-handover rule: a child is never left at a drop-off without the arranged adult; the driver waits and works the contact list.
- Fixed fares, invoiced monthly to parents or the school — daily runs, Eton/Harrow-style term moves, and university move-ins alike.
Frequently asked
Are taxi drivers DBS checked?
All TfL-licensed private hire drivers must pass an enhanced DBS check (with barred-list check) plus medical assessment as a condition of licensing — so yes, on every RushXO journey. Outside London, verify with the operator's local licensing authority.
What's the difference between standard and enhanced DBS?
Enhanced adds relevant local police information and, for regulated child-facing roles, the children's barred list. It's the level that matters for school transport — and the level TfL mandates.
What should I ask a school transport provider?
The seven questions above — licence number (then verify it), enhanced DBS, same-driver consistency, child seats, the no-handover procedure, parent updates, and insurance.
Does RushXO do school runs?
Yes — daily runs, term transfers and exeat weekends with enhanced-DBS TfL-licensed drivers, consistent named drivers, child seats at booking and fixed monthly-invoiced fares.
School runs you can verify
Ask us all seven questions — we'll answer every one in writing, licence number first. Fixed fares, familiar drivers, term after term.