The Guild of British Coach Operators module that is an optional part of the DVSA Earned Recognition scheme has been renamed to PSV Private Hire and expanded in scope to also facilitate membership of the School Transport Forum.
In the new guise, completion by a coach operator allows it to apply for or renew membership of either body, although the module description notes that further liaison between the operator and the Guild is necessary to complete application or renewal of membership of that organisation.
Audit remains how accreditation by the renamed module is achieved. It sits as a bolt-on to the mandatory audit of core Earned Recognition requirements and there is no obligation on a PSV operator to take the PSV Private Hire module when joining the scheme.
For membership of the School Transport Forum, the module document notes that once accreditation is completed, DVSA will notify the Forum and it will then contact the operator about becoming a member.
The Guild of British Coach Operators module was introduced in late 2022 and represented a change in policy from the Guild. Previously it was necessary for an operator to be nominated to become a member, but those that complete the Earned Recognition module can instead apply direct.
Guild Administrator Steve Whiteway notes that a primary reason for the recent amendment is to enable Guild members to join the School Transport Forum without undertaking that organisation’s audit separately.
“There is no tangible change to the audit requirements, other than some minor tidying up of words,” he adds.
Mr Whiteway adds how the renamed module thus retains coach-specific aspects such as customer service that are not otherwise captured by baseline Earned Recognition but are relevant to Guild membership. If a Guild member is not part of the DVSA scheme, a full Guild audit applies.
“I can see all Guild members moving to Earned Recognition in the foreseeable future,” he predicts, although for now, accreditation remains a recommendation, not a requirement of Guild membership.
As of 5 June, 98 passenger O-Licences were Earned Recognition members, with Eve Coaches and South East Coaches the most recent such businesses to have joined.
Of that pool, 10 have completed the PSV Private Hire module accreditation: Country Lion, Inglebys Coaches, Lakeside Coaches (two O-Licences), Maynes Coaches, Paul S Winson, Pulham’s Coaches, Stanley Travel, Williams Coaches, and York Pullman.
