Taxi control in Flanders: which documents must the driver be able to show?

During a taxi control in Flanders, the question is not only: “do you have your driving licence and vehicle papers?” The officer may ask for the driver card, the vehicle authorisation cards, the duty sheet (dienststaat), the transport tickets (vervoerbewijs), and the ability to open that data from the vehicle.

Saying “everything is at my boss’s” or “everything is in Chiron” is not enough. For the general flow of a control, see also how a taxi control in Flanders works.

What the controller sees on the vehicle: two plastic cards

Vehicle authorisation takes the form of plastic cards that must stay visible and readable in the required places:

• one card on the passenger seat back / dashboard, readable from inside;
• one card on the rear window, readable from outside.

They prove the vehicle is authorised for the relevant IBP service. A control often starts with this visual check, before opening the phone or taximeter.

Not in the glove box

Authorisation cards are not papers to pull out “if asked”. Keeping them in the glove box, under the seat or in a folder at the depot is already a problem: they must be placed and readable during the shift.

The bestuurderspas: always with the driver

Every driver performing an IBP service must have their driver card (bestuurderspas) with them at all times. It is not the vehicle’s document: it is the driver’s document.

Expired card, left at the depot, lent to a colleague, or impossible to present: classic grounds for sanction. The officer may also cross-check identity, driving licence and card validity.

Present the duty sheet (dienststaat)

The duty sheet reconstructs the day: start and end of duty, driver, vehicle, breaks, trips, distances and prices. During a control, the driver must present it in a readable form from on-board equipment.

Print: not required if digital works

You are not necessarily required to keep a paper sheet in the console. Data may be digital — in Belgium or abroad — provided it is recorded securely and openable immediately during the control.

A PDF “somewhere on a server” that nobody can open from the car does not count as presentation.

What the driver must be able to open

In practice, the officer may ask to open:

• the current duty (start, vehicle, driver);
• the trip list for the duty;
• the full sheet (breaks, distances, totals, end of duty if already closed).

If the app crashes, the account is wrong, or the driver does not know where to tap, the control goes badly — even if “everything is recorded somewhere”.

Present the transport ticket (vervoerbewijs)

The transport ticket is given to the customer after each trip. During a control, the officer may ask to see a recent ticket, how it is generated, or consistency with the trip concerned.

Generate ≠ hand over

Creating a PDF in the software is not enough. The ticket must be given to the customer (paper, email, SMS, etc.) without them having to ask. A ticket “generated but never sent” remains a gap.

Data identical to the originals

If you present a screen, PDF or export, the data must match the original secured records — not an approximate reconstruction made afterwards. Officers often compare trip, price, times and ticket mentions.

Old trips and 7-year retention

The operator (and where applicable the intermediary) must keep secured duty-sheet and ticket data for seven years.

• the driver mainly presents what is accessible from vehicle equipment (today’s duty, recent trips);
• the company must be able to produce archives on request from competent officers.

Asking a driver on the street for a 2022 trip on their phone is not the same as asking the operator for the archive.

Chiron can also be checked

Competent services can access the necessary data in the central database. A control may therefore cross-check what you show in the vehicle with what was sent to Chiron (booking, departure, arrival). See the taxi control guide.

Chiron does not replace the documents

A successful transmission to Chiron proves a message was accepted. It replaces neither the bestuurderspas, nor the vehicle cards, nor the dienststaat, nor the vervoerbewijs given to the customer. Details: Does Chiron replace the transport ticket and duty sheet?

Tariff card

Depending on the service type (especially rank taxi), the officer may check fare display / the tariff card and consistency with equipment (approved taximeter, app). A displayed fare different from the one applied is a warning sign.

Equipment check

Beyond documents, the control may cover on-board equipment: app or taximeter, ability to record and present data, taxilicht for relevant vehicles, vehicle / authorisation match. Equipment that does not work at the moment of control is an immediate problem.

Concrete control example

The officer stops the vehicle near a station. They first check the two plastic cards (passenger seat + rear window), ask for the bestuurderspas, then ask to open today’s duty in the app. They point to a trip from that morning: times, price, and ask to show the matching ticket. Finally they may cross-check with Chiron data on the administration side.

If the driver opens everything in under a minute, the control stays short. If every request triggers a call to the boss, the tone changes.

What not to do

• leave authorisation cards in the glove box;
• forget the bestuurderspas at the depot;
• say “everything is in Chiron” without being able to open dienststaat / tickets;
• erase data or “clean” history during the control;
• claim a PDF at the office replaces on-board presentation;
• generate a ticket without giving it to the customer;
• drive with a non-compliant vehicle or equipment.

Risks for the driver

The rules provide that the driver card can be suspended or withdrawn if the driver does not present requested documents, erases data, fails to use required equipment or uses an unauthorised vehicle. It is no longer only a one-off fine: the work tool disappears.

The operator can also be sanctioned

Even if the control happens in the car, responsibility for organisation (Chiron connection, 7-year retention, equipment, procedures) stays with the operator. Shortcomings can lead to immediate collections and other administrative follow-up. See taxi fines in Flanders.

2-minute prep before the shift

1. Bestuurderspas in your pocket (valid).
2. Two vehicle cards in place and readable.
3. App / taximeter on, correct driver account.
4. Duty opened with the right start data.
5. Know in one gesture where to open trips + tickets.

Fake control: 10 questions

Practise before leaving. If an answer is “I don’t know” or “call the office”, fix the process.

1. Where is your bestuurderspas?
2. Where are the two plastic vehicle cards?
3. How do you open the current duty?
4. Show the last trip of this duty.
5. Show the transport ticket for that trip.
6. Was the ticket given to the customer? How?
7. Where do you see today’s breaks and totals?
8. What do you do if the app will not open?
9. Who keeps the 7-year archives in your company?
10. Does Chiron replace your duty sheet? (Answer: no.)

What to retain

A documents control is the ability to show and open: driver card, vehicle cards, duty sheet, readable tickets — without improvisation. Digital is fine if it really works. Chiron improves administrative transparency; it does not replace these proofs.

To organise the day-to-day: TaxiGer features, taxi documents hub. Next in the series: taxi fines in Flanders.

FAQ

Official sources

• Flemish Government Decree of 9 June 2023 — articles 17, 21, 27 and 30 to 36
• Flemish Decree of 29 March 2019 — individually remunerated passenger transport
• Flanders — Driver card for taxi drivers
• Flanders — Licence for taxi services
• Flanders — Taxi types and conditions
• Flanders — Chiron trip database