FAIR OPPORTUNITY & SUITABILITY POLICY

1. Purpose

Dawa Exec Ltd is committed to maintaining high standards of passenger safety, regulatory compliance and professional service while providing fair opportunities to suitably qualified individuals. This policy explains how Dawa Exec Ltd approaches recruitment, engagement, suitability and operational monitoring in a fair, proportionate and non-discriminatory manner. Passenger safety, safeguarding and compliance with Transport for London requirements remain central to our operations.

2. Fair Opportunity

Dawa Exec Ltd welcomes applications and expressions of interest from individuals with the appropriate skills, experience, licences and professional standards required for the role. A criminal record does not automatically prevent an individual from being considered where they are legally eligible to perform the role. Where criminal-record information is lawfully available and relevant to a role, Dawa Exec Ltd will consider the circumstances individually and proportionately.

Relevant consideration may include:

• the nature and seriousness of the matter;
• how long ago it occurred;
• its relevance to the duties concerned;
• whether there is evidence of repeated behaviour;
• the individual’s explanation and subsequent conduct;
• evidence of rehabilitation; and
• any genuine safeguarding or public-safety implications.

3. Booking and Dispatch Staff

Dawa Exec Ltd complies with applicable Transport for London requirements concerning persons who accept bookings and/or dispatch private hire vehicles. Where a DBS check is required for a booking or dispatch role, Dawa Exec Ltd will only request and consider criminal-record information that it is legally entitled to obtain.

Relevant information will not be treated as an automatic bar to engagement and will be considered in the context of the role, passenger and public safety, the circumstances of the matter and evidence of rehabilitation. Where appropriate, an applicant will be given an opportunity to explain relevant information before a final decision is made.

4. Licensed Chauffeurs

Licensed London private hire drivers are subject to Transport for London’s own driver-licensing and suitability processes. Dawa Exec Ltd does not seek to duplicate TfL’s statutory licensing assessment unnecessarily. Before a chauffeur is made available for Dawa Exec journeys, the company carries out appropriate lawful operational and documentary checks.

These checks may include:

• current TfL private hire driver licence;
• current licensed private hire vehicle;
• appropriate hire-and-reward insurance and required vehicle documentation;
• regular licence, vehicle and document-validity checks;
• vehicle type and service class;
• relevant chauffeur or private hire experience;
• reliability, punctuality and professional conduct; and
• previous operational performance and passenger-service standards where available.

5. Vehicle and Service-Class Suitability

Not every chauffeur or vehicle will necessarily be suitable for every Dawa Exec booking. Dawa Exec Ltd may allocate work according to legitimate operational requirements including vehicle class, passenger numbers, luggage, airport or specialist experience, accessibility requirements, client-specific requirements, geographic availability and demonstrated service capability.

6. New Chauffeur Monitoring

Dawa Exec Ltd may monitor newly engaged chauffeurs more closely while establishing their operational service record. Monitoring may include punctuality, journey completion, communication, vehicle presentation, passenger feedback, compliance with journey procedures and professional conduct. This is an operational quality-control process and is not a system for categorising individuals according to criminal history or personal background.

7. Passenger Safety and Safeguarding

Passenger safety takes priority over commercial considerations. Where Dawa Exec Ltd becomes aware of a genuine concern involving passenger safety, safeguarding, licensing, insurance, identity or documentation, serious misconduct, dishonesty, threatening or inappropriate behaviour, or another material regulatory concern, the company may restrict, suspend or cease allocations while the matter is reviewed. Serious matters may be referred to Transport for London, the police or another relevant authority where appropriate.

8. Non-Discrimination

Dawa Exec Ltd does not unlawfully discriminate when recruiting, engaging or allocating work. Decisions are based on legitimate factors including regulatory requirements, licensing, experience, vehicle suitability, documented operational performance, availability, passenger requirements and genuine safety or safeguarding considerations.

9. Rehabilitation

Dawa Exec Ltd recognises that individuals can change, develop and rebuild their professional record. Where lawfully disclosed information does not prevent an individual from performing a role, Dawa Exec Ltd will consider rehabilitation, subsequent conduct and the relevance of historic matters rather than applying a blanket exclusion. Our objective is to balance fair opportunity with our responsibilities for passenger safety, safeguarding and regulatory compliance.

10. Confidentiality and Data Protection

Criminal-record information and other sensitive information will only be obtained, accessed and used where Dawa Exec Ltd has a lawful reason to do so. Such information will be handled confidentially, protected against unauthorised access and not retained or reproduced unnecessarily. Dawa Exec Ltd will comply with applicable data-protection and DBS requirements when processing such information.

11. Ongoing Review

Dawa Exec Ltd will review this policy periodically and whenever there is a material change to Transport for London licensing requirements, DBS guidance, applicable legislation, safeguarding standards or the company’s operating model. Where regulatory requirements change, Dawa Exec Ltd will update its procedures accordingly.