New on the Road. First to the Finish Line.
We only started trading in October 2024. Today Leap Travel is a DVSA Earned Recognition accredited operator, and the first operator ever to complete DVSA’s Road to Earned Recognition programme and go on to full membership. For a small, family-run coach company from Leeds, it’s our proudest achievement so far.
Leap Travel Limited is listed as an accredited operator by DVSA on GOV.UK.
How a Brand-New Operator Earned DVSA’s Top Standard
Leap Travel was founded by Jake Morley, who started out in the coach industry as a driver, and is run as a family business with his wife. Before our first coach turned a wheel, Jake gained his Transport Manager CPC. Doing things properly from day one has always been the plan.
Earned Recognition is normally for established operators: you usually need to have held an operator’s licence for at least two years. But at Euro Bus Expo in November 2024, just weeks after we started trading, we visited the DVSA stand and were invited onto Road to Earned Recognition, a programme that helps brand-new operators build the systems needed to reach the standard.
The programme has eight milestones, from managing drivers and maintenance through to being ready for a full audit. Along the way we wrote our policies and handbooks from scratch, and built the maintenance and drivers' hours systems that DVSA requires. Operators get up to two years to complete it, and nobody has to go on to a full audit afterwards. We chose to go straight for it.
We became the first operator anywhere to complete Road to Earned Recognition and go on to full Earned Recognition membership.
Our full audit was carried out by Transultant, a DVSA-authorised audit provider. Passing it put us alongside a small group of passenger operators. Around 100 passenger operator licences were accredited at the end of August 2026, according to routeone.
We might be a new name on the road, but this is the clearest proof we can offer of how we run Leap Travel. Our maintenance and drivers' hours data goes to DVSA every four weeks, and an independent auditor checks our systems again every two years. If we ever slipped below the standard, DVSA would know.
Read the full story: “Plotting a Road to Earned Recognition for younger operators”, routeone, 14 September 2026.
What We’re Measured on
These are the standards DVSA sets for Earned Recognition operators. We report against them every four weeks and are re-audited every two years.
Safety Inspections Done Right
Every scheduled safety inspection has to be completed and recorded correctly. The target is 100%, not “most of the time”.
MOT First-Time Passes
Vehicles must pass their annual MOT first time at a rate of at least 95%, which shows they’re kept in good order all year round, not just fixed up for the test.
Rested, Compliant Drivers
Drivers' hours and working time are tracked digitally and checked against strict infringement limits, so the person driving your group is properly rested.
Checked by Someone Else
A DVSA-authorised audit provider reviews our systems and records. We don’t mark our own homework.
Peace of Mind for Every Booking
Schools
Show governors and parents you’ve booked a coach operator whose safety standards are independently audited and monitored by DVSA. School coach hire.
Businesses
Earned Recognition is a recognised mark of an exemplary operator, which makes supplier checks and procurement simpler.
Weddings & Events
Your guests are in safe hands with well-maintained coaches and professional, Enhanced DBS-checked drivers.
Day Trip Passengers
Sit back and enjoy the day out, knowing the coach taking you there meets DVSA’s highest standards.
Earned Recognition Questions
What Is DVSA Earned Recognition?
A voluntary scheme run by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency for operators who can prove they meet high driver and vehicle standards. Accredited operators send performance data to DVSA every four weeks and are independently re-audited every two years to keep their accreditation.
What Is Road to Earned Recognition?
A DVSA programme for operators in their first months of trading. It takes them through eight milestones to build the systems needed for Earned Recognition. Leap Travel was the first operator to complete it and go on to achieve full membership.
How Can I Check Leap Travel Is Accredited?
DVSA publishes a list of accredited operators on GOV.UK. You can find it from the DVSA Earned Recognition page.
Does Earned Recognition Mean DVSA Never Checks Your Coaches?
No. Accredited operators' vehicles are less likely to be stopped at the roadside because DVSA already receives their performance data, but they can still be checked at any time.
Do All Coach Companies Have It?
No. It’s voluntary, and operators have to meet the entry standards and keep meeting them to stay in. When comparing quotes, it’s worth asking whether the operator is Earned Recognition accredited.
Scheme details from GOV.UK: DVSA earned recognition – join the scheme. Our story as reported by routeone.
Book with the Operator Who Went First
Private coach hire for groups of up to 80, and coach day trips from Leeds, Castleford, Selby and Wakefield.