Last updated: 27 October 2026 | Review cycle: annually, or sooner after any fatigue-related incident
We carry people to and from airports at every hour of the day and night, including the early hours when the human body is least able to stay alert. A tired driver is a danger to passengers, to other road users and to themselves. This policy sets out the limits we work to, the rest we build in, and the responsibilities that sit with everyone involved — because managing fatigue is not something a driver can be left to do alone.
We publish it openly so that passengers, account customers and our licensing authority can see the standard we hold ourselves to.
The purpose of this policy is to:
This policy applies to everyone carrying out work on behalf of Airport Move Limited, including:
Where we subcontract a journey, we expect the receiving operator to apply standards at least equivalent to these, and we make that a condition of the work we pass on.
Private hire vehicle drivers in London are not subject to the statutory drivers' hours rules that apply to lorry and coach drivers. That absence of a fixed legal ceiling is precisely why an operator must set its own, and why we do so here.
This policy supports our duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, our obligations as a licensed private hire vehicle operator, and the duty of every driver under the Road Traffic Act 1988 not to drive when unfit to do so. Driving while impaired by fatigue can amount to careless or dangerous driving, and the responsibility for that sits with the driver at the wheel as well as with us.
Fatigue is more than ordinary tiredness. It is an acute or ongoing state of mental and physical exhaustion that stops a person functioning within normal limits. It builds up over time, and it cannot be reliably judged by the person experiencing it — one of the first things fatigue takes away is the ability to recognise how impaired you are.
It is typically caused by a combination of:
Our scheduling is built on three groups of principles.
Breaks within a shift — to limit the effect of extended time at the wheel:
Recovery between shifts — to ensure a genuine opportunity for sufficient sleep:
Reset between sequences of shifts — to stop fatigue accumulating over a run of days:
These limits are mandatory, not advisory.
Breaks must be taken away from the vehicle wherever it is practical to do so. A break spent sitting in the driver's seat waiting for the next job is not a rest. Where a driver feels sleepiness coming on mid-shift, the correct response is to stop somewhere safe, and a short nap of around 15 to 20 minutes — with a caffeinated drink beforehand — is far more effective than pressing on.
Any driver may decline or stop work on the grounds of fatigue. We will reallocate the journey and arrange alternative transport for the passenger. There will be no loss of future work, no financial penalty, no disciplinary consequence and no adverse record for a driver who declines work because they are too tired to drive safely. Declaring fatigue is treated as a driver doing their job properly, not as a failure.
What is a disciplinary matter is the opposite: concealing hours, falsifying records, working beyond the limits without authorisation, or driving on when unfit.
There are rare situations — a serious incident, a passenger safety issue, severe disruption — where limits may come under pressure. In those cases the hours may only be exceeded where it is authorised in advance by a director, after a direct conversation about the specific risk. That conversation must cover the additional risk being accepted, the mitigation being applied, and the rest that will follow. The exceedance, the reason and the authorisation are documented, and compensatory rest is given before the driver works again. Commercial convenience is never a reason to authorise an exceedance.
We keep records of allocated journeys, duty periods and driving hours, and we review them for patterns — drivers regularly close to the limits, shifts repeatedly ending in the early hours, or routes that are consistently under-timed. Where a pattern emerges, we change the schedule rather than asking people to absorb it. Records are retained for the period our licensing and legal obligations require, and are available to our licensing authority on request.
Every driver receives this policy on joining and at each annual review, together with practical guidance on recognising fatigue, the value of sleep, the limits of caffeine, and the risks of the 00:00–06:00 window. Drivers are encouraged to raise fatigue concerns with management at any time, in confidence. Where a driver may have an underlying sleep disorder, we will support them in seeking medical advice, and we will adjust their schedule in the meantime.
This policy is reviewed at least annually, and immediately following any incident, near miss or complaint in which fatigue was or may have been a factor. Changes are communicated to all drivers and staff.
Does the 14-hour limit really include my commute? Yes. Time spent travelling to and from the start and end of duty counts, because it affects your alertness in exactly the same way.
What if I also drive for another operator? The limits apply to your total working hours across all work, not just the hours you do for us. You must tell us about other driving work so we can allocate safely.
Can I lose work for refusing a job because I am tired? No. That is expressly protected by this policy, and we treat it as the right decision.
What happens to my passenger if I stop mid-journey? Control arranges a replacement vehicle and keeps the passenger informed. Getting them there safely is the priority; getting them there in your car is not.
Is a nap in the car a break? A short deliberate nap at a safe stopping place is a recognised fatigue countermeasure and is encouraged. Sitting in the driver's seat waiting for the next booking is not a break.
Questions about this policy, or a fatigue concern to raise? Email booking@airportmove.co.uk or call +44 (0) 1582 824631. Airport Move Limited, 450 Bath Rd, London UB7 0EB, registered in England and Wales, company number 14491058.
