Guidance

Report a lorry, bus or coach driver or company: privacy notice

Updated 8 April 2024

1. About this service

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) provides the service to report lorry, bus or coach drivers or the company running the vehicles (a vehicle operator).

DVSA is an executive agency of the Department for Transport (DfT).

We carry out enforcement activity in Great Britain to protect people from unsafe drivers and vehicles, and to make sure that drivers and companies follow the professional standards expected of them.

This service lets you report cases where drivers, vehicles or companies are breaking safety rules or the conditions expected of them, for example, a condition of their vehicle operator licence. You can report cases to DVSA by email, telephone or letter.

The data controller for DVSA is DfT - a data controller determines the reasons and how personal data is processed. For more information, see the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) Data Protection Public Register. DfT’s registration number is Z7122992.

2. What data we need

We need to collect data about:

• you - unless you want to make a report anonymously
• the driver or company you’re reporting

2.1 Your data

You can make a report anonymously - you do not have to give your name or contact details unless you want to.

We will collect your name if you do not want to be anonymous. We’ll also collect the following information depending on how you contact us:

• your address
• your email address
• your telephone number

If you email, call or write anonymously, we will not:

• ask for your name, address or telephone number
• try to trace you in any way

Depending on the incident you’re reporting, it might be possible for the driver or company to work out that you reported it - even if you’re anonymous.

Example You anonymously report a bus driver on a service you use at the same time each evening. The incident you report happened when you were the only passenger on the bus.

It’s likely that the driver would be able to work out that you reported them.

We will not reveal that you made the report if you asked to remain anonymous, but we cannot stop the driver or company from working it out themselves.

2.2 The driver or company’s data

The personal data we collect from you about the incident will include:

• who is involved - including vehicle registrations (number plates), individuals’ names and company names
• what the driver or company is doing
• where they were doing it
• when they’re doing it

2.3 Lawful basis

The lawful basis for processing this data is ‘public task’ under the:

• Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984
• Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996
• Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000
• Fraud Act 2006
• Road Traffic Act 1988, including sections 66A, 99 123

We investigate reports to make sure drivers, vehicles and operators meet the rules set out in:

• Regulations EC 1071/2009, EC 1072/2009 and EC 1073/2009
• Road Traffic Act 1988
• The Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995
• The Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981
• Motor Vehicles Test Regulations 1981

3. Why we need it

We need the personal data (including about the driver or company) we collect from you to:

• investigate the alleged incidents
• use as evidence in any case against the driver or company
• detect and prevent crime
• contact you for more information to help us investigate the incidents (if you did not make an anonymous report)
• tell you what happened at the end of the investigation (if you’ve asked us to)

4. What we do with it

We collect, use and store the data you give us for the reasons set out in this policy.

We will review the information you’ve sent and decide what to do next. This may include:

• sharing the data with DVSA examiners and asking them to investigate the case
• asking you for more information if you did not make the report anonymously
• working with other government departments and law enforcement agencies such as the police, local councils, the Environment Agency, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Home Office and the Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain

We will share your data if required to do so by law - for example, by court order, or to prevent fraud or other crime.

We will not:

• sell or rent your data to third parties
• share your data with third parties for marketing purposes

5. How long we keep your data

We’ll only keep your personal data for as long as it is needed for the reasons set out in this policy, or as long as it’s required by law.

We will hold your personal data for whichever of these is longest:

• no more than 7 years after the end of an investigation
• 7 years after the end of any court sentence has expired following information you gave to us

6. Where it might go

All investigation data is held on DVSA servers based in the UK or hosted within cloud services based in the European Economic Area (EEA). They meet security safeguards equivalent to those required by data protection legislation.

7. Protecting your data and your rights

The DVSA personal information charter sets out what steps are taken to protect your data, and the rights you have over your data.

8. Automated decision making and profiling

Your data is not subject to automated decision making or profiling as defined in data protection legislation.

9. Changes to this notice

We may change this privacy notice at our discretion at any time.

When we change this notice, the date on the page will be updated. Any changes to this privacy notice will be applied to you and your data as of the revision date.

We encourage you to periodically review this privacy notice to be informed about how your data is protected.

10. How to contact us

If you have any questions about anything in this document or if you consider that your personal data has been misused or mishandled you can contact the DVSA data protection manager

DVSA data protection manager

Data Protection Manager
DVSA
1 Unity Square
Nottingham
NG2 1AY

Email information.handling@dvsa.gov.uk

You may also make a complaint to the Information Commissioner, who is an independent regulator.