One distraction can cost dearly: mistakes to avoid before, during and after a trip

Compliant software and a Chiron connection are not enough if the driver forgets to open service, picks the wrong vehicle or does not send the transport ticket to the customer. The duty sheet (dienststaat) and ticket (vervoerbewijs) depend on everyday gestures before, during and after each trip.

Here are 18 common mistakes that make data missing, wrong or impossible to present — and the matching good habit. For the documents hub: taxi documents.

It is not automatically fraud

Most of these situations come from oversights, stress or bad routines — not from an intent to deceive. For the officer, the finding stays factual: missing, inconsistent or unpresentable data. Document-related fines and a failed documents control can follow, even without “fraud” in the everyday sense.

1. Driving without starting service

Without an open service, the duty sheet often has no start time, opening mileage or initial location. Trips encoded later float without a day frame.

Example

The driver picks up a customer at 7:10, opens the app only at 8:00 for the second trip. The sheet starts too late: the first trip does not exist properly.

The good habit

• Open service before the first commercial move.
• Check the “service in progress” screen (time, vehicle, driver).
• Never rely on an unconfirmed “automatic” start.

2. Using a shared driver account

The duty sheet and ticket must show the name of the driver who actually drives. A shared login mixes days, corrupts Chiron and complicates every control.

Example

Two colleagues use the same “garage” account. On control, the card says Jean, the app says Pierre: immediate inconsistency.

The good habit

• One personal account per driver.
• Log out at end of service if the device is shared.
• Refuse to lend your login, even for one trip.

3. Selecting the wrong vehicle

Plate, service type and vehicle authorisation are linked. A wrong selection sends data to Chiron and on documents for another vehicle.

Example

The driver takes car B but leaves car A selected. Tickets and duty sheet carry plate A all day.

The good habit

• Check the plate shown before the first customer.
• Change vehicle in the app as soon as you change car.
• If unsure: close and reopen service on the correct vehicle.

4. Entering the wrong opening mileage

Opening mileage is the reference for duty distances. A 100 km error skews totals and can look like manipulation.

Example

The odometer shows 142,350 km; the driver types 142,250. All distances for the day are offset.

The good habit

• Read the odometer before confirming start.
• Photograph the odometer if internal procedure requires it.
• Correct immediately with a trail (old / new value).

5. Forgetting to encode a break

Breaks are part of the duty sheet. Without them, the day looks continuous while the vehicle was off commercial duty.

Example

One-hour lunch break not encoded. On control, the sheet shows 12 hours of uninterrupted activity.

The good habit

• Start the break in the app as soon as you truly stop.
• Close the break before resuming trips.
• Do not invent breaks in the evening.

6. Starting the trip too late

If departure is encoded after the real departure, times, distances and any Chiron transmission no longer match the real journey.

Example

Customer boarded at 18:02, trip started in the app at 18:11 after 2 km. The ticket understates duration and distance.

The good habit

• Start the trip at boarding (or per the software’s business rule).
• Do not wait for a red light or the destination to tap.
• If forgotten: note the real time and correct with an audit trail.

7. Ending the trip too early

Closing before drop-off cuts the journey short. Price, laden distance and ticket become incomplete or wrong.

Example

The driver closes on arriving in the neighbourhood, then drives another 800 m to the address. The ticket does not cover the real end.

The good habit

• End the trip at the customer’s final stop.
• Check address / distance before validation.
• Do not close “in advance” to save time.

8. Leaving a trip open

An unclosed trip often blocks the ticket, skews totals and can prevent starting the next trip correctly.

Example

Morning trip still open at 16:00. No clean ticket; distances keep accumulating.

The good habit

• Close immediately after drop-off.
• Before each new trip: check that no trip is in progress.
• At end of service: scan the list of open trips.

9. Not checking the final price

Announced / agreed price and charged price must be able to appear correctly. An unchecked amount ends up wrong on the ticket and duty sheet.

Example

€35 flat fare announced, encoding left at €28. The customer gets a wrong ticket; control cross-checks with payment.

The good habit

• Re-read the amount before validating end of trip.
• Distinguish announced price and amount actually received.
• Correct before sending the ticket, not the next day.

10. Adding fees without proof

Surcharges (waiting, luggage, toll…) must be justifiable. Without a clear reason, the ticket and sheet look inflated or arbitrary.

Example

€8 “misc” fee with no note. The customer disputes; on control, no coherent explanation.

The good habit

• Add only planned / authorised fees.
• Enter the reason in the field provided.
• Keep a proof (toll, photo) if procedure requires it.

11. Generating the ticket without sending it

Creating the PDF is not enough. The ticket must be given to the customer without them asking. Generating ≠ handing over.

Example

The driver taps “generate” then pockets the phone. The customer leaves without a ticket; on control, “I generated it” is not enough.

The good habit

• Send or print immediately after generation.
• Confirm the customer really received it (screen / SMS / email / paper).
• Build hand-over into the end-of-trip gesture.

12. Sending the ticket to the wrong person

A ticket sent to the wrong number or email was not handed to the trip’s customer. The proof of hand-over is false.

Example

SMS to the previous customer’s number. Today’s customer has nothing; history shows a “successful” send to the wrong recipient.

The good habit

• Check the recipient before sending.
• Prefer the channel requested by this trip’s customer.
• If wrong: resend to the right contact and document it.

13. Handing over a handwritten ticket in normal times

Outside a documented failure, the ticket must come from the compliant system (indelible data, consistent with the record). A handwritten slip bypasses secured data.

Example

App works, but the driver prefers a booklet receipt. No link to the duty sheet or Chiron.

The good habit

• Use the system’s digital ticket / printer.
• Reserve handwriting for documented failures.
• After a failure: stop service with that vehicle after drop-off.

14. Closing the app without ending service

Leaving the app does not end service. The sheet stays open or incomplete; the next day starts in chaos.

Example

Screen off at 22:00, service still “in progress”. The next day, two services overlap.

The good habit

• Close service (time, km, end location) before leaving.
• Check the “service ended” status.
• Do not confuse “close the app” with “end of service”.

15. Editing data without an audit trail

A correction is allowed if it is traceable (old value, new value, date, author, reason). An invisible edit can lead to driver-card suspension.

Example

Dispatch quietly changes a plate in the database. On control, history shows no justified correction.

The good habit

• Correct only via the software’s intended functions.
• Enter the reason for every change.
• Never delete a trip to “clean up”.

16. Being unable to open documents on control

Having “everything stored somewhere” is not enough. The driver must present the duty sheet and tickets from the onboard equipment.

Example

Forgotten password, wrong account, app crash. The officer records that data cannot be produced.

The good habit

• Know how to open duty sheet and tickets in under a minute.
• Test opening before starting the day.
• See the control-documents guide for the checklist.

17. Believing Chiron fixes things automatically

Chiron receives what the software sends. A wrong plate, wrong driver or missed trip stays wrong if it is technically accepted.

Example

The driver thinks: “Chiron will fix it.” Nothing is corrected; the three messages (booking, departure, arrival) carry the error.

The good habit

• Encode correctly at the source.
• Do not confuse Chiron transmission with local documents.
• Read the guide: Chiron replaces neither ticket nor duty sheet.

18. Keeping driving with broken equipment

After a failure during a trip, service with that vehicle must stop after drop-off. Continuing multiplies trips without compliant documents.

Example

Printer / app dead after the 3rd trip; the driver does six more “on the booklet”. Each trip is extra risk.

The good habit

• Report the failure to the operator immediately.
• Finish the current trip, then stop the vehicle.
• Do not improvise a whole day outside the system.

Recap of the 18 mistakes

Overview: mistake → typical impact on the duty sheet, ticket or Chiron.

5-minute routine

Before / during / after — the minimum for clean data:

1. Before — personal account, correct vehicle, service open, mileage read, know how to open the duty sheet.
2. During — start and end each trip at the right time, encode breaks, check price and fees.
3. After — close the trip, hand the ticket to the right customer, close service at end of day, report any failure.

Operator’s role

The driver performs the gestures; the operator sets the frame: individual accounts, correctly configured vehicles, training on “where to tap on control”, correction procedure with audit trail, and fast replacement of a broken vehicle. Clear software (access, open-trip alerts, ticket send) reduces oversights — see TaxiGer features.

What if the phone dies or the app crashes?

Flat battery, crash, network drop: these are distinct from the 18 mistakes above. See the article 42 procedure: dead phone, app crash or no network — without replacing the basic routine described here.

Key takeaways

Most problems come from oversights: service not started, shared account, wrong vehicle, trip not closed, ticket not handed over, data edited without a trail. It is not necessarily fraud, but documents and Chiron can be wrong. Enforce a 5-minute routine before / during / after every trip.

Go further: documents hub, documents control, document fines.

FAQ

Official sources

• Flemish Government Decree of 9 June 2023 — articles 27 and 33 to 36
• Flemish Decree of 29 March 2019 — individual paid passenger transport
• Flanders — Central trip database Chiron
• Flanders — Driver card for taxi drivers