TfL 97139 Driver Quality Monitoring 2026

Driver Quality Monitoring (DQM) is a safety critical service. TfL funds DQM to ensure and promote safe bus driving through an objective assessment of driving standards. DQM involves assessors covertly boarding a bus while in service and conducting a circa 20-minute assessment scoring the driver's performance against a comprehensive list of categories. The categories include braking, acceleration, steering, respect for traffic signals and a range of safety-related issues.The assessor produces a report which consists of a score between 1 and 4 for each category and a small commentary - this is made available online for garage managers to discuss with the driver. TfL and the bus companies also use DQM to monitor trends by route, garage, and operator across the network.The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 places a duty on all authorities to do all they can to prevent crime and disorder. The operation of DQM is believed to result in an increase in driving standards and driver behaviour theref