Employment of Ex-Offenders Policy

1. Purpose & Scope

1.1 Hoopoe Electric Ltd ("we", "us", "our") is a licensed London private hire operator regulated by Transport for London (TfL). In line with TfL licensing requirements for private hire vehicle operators, we maintain this policy on the employment of ex-offenders.

1.2 This policy applies to the recruitment and engagement of all staff, including anyone involved in accepting bookings or dispatching vehicles, and to anyone with access to customer or booking information.

2. Our Principles

2.1 We comply with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Applicants are not asked to disclose convictions that are spent under the Act, and a spent conviction is not in itself grounds for refusing employment.

2.2 Having a criminal record does not automatically disqualify an applicant. Each case is assessed individually and fairly on its merits.

2.3 The safety of our passengers, including children and vulnerable adults, always takes priority in any employment decision.

3. How We Assess Disclosed Convictions

3.1 Applicants for roles involving booking or dispatch functions are required to disclose unspent convictions during recruitment.

3.2 Where a conviction is disclosed, we consider: the nature and seriousness of the offence; its relevance to the role applied for (in particular offences involving violence, sexual offences, dishonesty, or offences against vulnerable people); the time elapsed since the offence; the applicant's record since; and any evidence of rehabilitation.

3.3 We reserve the right not to engage any applicant whose record we consider incompatible with the safety and trust our customers place in us.

4. Drivers

4.1 All drivers who carry out bookings for us hold a TfL private hire driver's licence. TfL's licensing process includes an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check for every licensed driver, repeated at renewal.

4.2 We only dispatch bookings to TfL-licensed drivers in TfL-licensed vehicles.

5. Confidentiality

5.1 Information about criminal records is treated as confidential, held securely, used only for the purpose of the recruitment decision, and retained no longer than necessary, in accordance with UK GDPR and our Privacy Policy.

6. Review

6.1 This policy is reviewed at least annually and whenever TfL guidance changes.

6.2 Questions about this policy: hoopoe.electric@gmail.com or 020 3170 7588.