Failed the SERU Test? How to Retake and Pass

If you have just failed the SERU test, the first thing to know is this: one fail does not end your PCO licence application. Transport for London normally allows new private hire driver applicants three attempts to pass the SERU assessment, so a single bad result is a setback, not a refusal.

What matters now is changing how you prepare. Drivers who fail once and simply rebook for the following week often fail again, because nothing about their preparation has changed.

This guide covers where you stand after a SERU fail: what TfL's rules say, what a retake costs, how to rebook, and what to do differently. We are an independent training centre in Southall — your application and assessment fees go directly to TfL, and we help you get ready for the test itself.

How many attempts do you get at the SERU test?

TfL's Taxi and Private Hire Driver Policy is the document that sets this out. On the SERU assessment for private hire applicants it says:

“New PHV driver licence applicants are normally allowed three attempts to pass the SERU assessment. After failing the assessment for a third time, the application will normally be refused.”

Two details matter. “Normally” means TfL applies the rule as standard but can consider individual circumstances. And the limit is on attempts, not on time — there is no published waiting period between them, so you are not forced to sit out a month before trying again.

The same policy sets a separate three-attempt limit on the topographical skills assessment, and a three-occasion limit on missing appointments:

“Should the applicant fail to attend their appointment for the assessment on three occasions without reasonable justification, their application will be refused.”

What does a SERU fail mean for your PCO licence application?

Nothing happens automatically after a first or second fail. Your application simply stays open and incomplete: TfL cannot grant a private hire driver's licence until you have passed SERU, the English language speaking and listening assessment and the topographical skills assessment.

If you are renewing, the same principle applies — TfL states that all renewing PHV drivers must have passed SERU for the renewal to be considered complete. The pass is a one-off: once you have passed an assessment based on the current version of the handbook, you are exempt from taking it again at future renewals.

What a SERU retake costs

TfL publishes the fees for a private hire driver's licence on its private hire driver licence page. As of October 2026 the assessment fees are:

TfL's fee table does not list a separate, cheaper resit fee, so plan for £40 each time you sit it. You pay it directly to TfL when you book, not to us or any other training provider. TfL also states on that page that it does not offer a fast-track service and will never charge more than the advertised costs — so treat anyone promising to speed up or guarantee your licence with suspicion.

How to rebook your SERU assessment

Bookings are made and managed yourself, in your online customer account on the TfL Taxi and Private Hire Portal. TfL's own booking guidance sets out the steps:

1. Log in to your customer account on the Taxi and Private Hire Portal.
2. Open Manage My Bookings, then +New Appointment.
3. Select the application or licence the assessment relates to.
4. Choose an assessment centre, then your preferred date and time slot.
5. Pay the fee to confirm the booking. The slot is held for 30 minutes while you pay — if payment is declined, the slot is released.

You can view the outcome of any assessment you have sat in the same place, under Assessment Outcome, and TfL also sends a letter confirming the result. If you have trouble booking, TfL's assessments team can be reached at assessments@tph.tfl.gov.uk.

Why drivers fail SERU, and what to do differently

SERU stands for Safety, Equality and Regulatory Understanding, and the questions come from the PHV Driver's Handbook. TfL describes that handbook as covering a driver's obligations under private hire and other legislation including the Equality Act 2010, TfL's policies and guidance, safeguarding children and vulnerable adults, passenger and driver safety, and road and vehicle safety.

In Notice 01/24, TfL made a point worth reading twice if you have just failed:

“The SERU assessment is not and has never intended to be a memory test.”

In the same notice TfL said it intended to trial making the handbook available to refer to during the assessment, so drivers could focus on “critical thinking, scenario evaluation and problem solving and less on simply recalling facts”. Whether that applies to your appointment depends on when and where you sit it, so check your booking confirmation rather than assuming either way.

That tells you how to prepare. Memorising phrases is the approach that most often fails, because questions describe a situation and ask what you should do. In our training room we see the same gaps again and again:

• Safeguarding. Spotting a concern is not enough; you need to know what action to take and who to report it to. TfL expects all applicants to complete its online Safeguarding Awareness course before SERU — if you skipped it, do it before you rebook.
• Equality Act duties. Assistance dogs, wheelchair users and exemption certificates come up as scenarios. The rules are specific and guessing rarely works.
• Reading carefully. SERU also assesses your ability to read and write English to an appropriate level. Drivers who rush lose marks on questions they knew.
• Regulatory basics. Licence conditions, notifying TfL of convictions, and what a private hire driver may and may not do.

In practice: work through the handbook section by section with someone who asks you scenario questions out loud, and sit enough realistic mock tests that the format stops being a surprise. Our SERU test training page explains how we structure that. If your topographical assessment is also outstanding, that guide covers it.

What if you have already failed three times?

If your application is refused after a third fail, you can still become a licensed private hire driver — but you have to make a fresh application. TfL's policy is explicit that there is no enforced delay:

“Applicants who are refused on this basis do not have to wait for any defined period before a further application will be considered.”

So there is no ban and no fixed waiting time. What there is, is cost: you pay the application fees again. That is the real argument for preparing properly before the second or third attempt rather than after it. Our guide to applying for a PCO licence covers what a fresh application involves.

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