Tailor Made for
The Casey Column
the Taxi Trade
By Wayne Casey LL SC
The views expressed in this column may not be those
of the National Taxi Association
Take a chill pill ones. Going back to Carlisle, that’s 2,500 hours new form of leech. The fly by night training
taxi talk Magazine has received enquiries as to of assessing for our 250 drivers, 104 days company. Heard of em? Whilst I accept some
the LL and SC abbreviations at the end of my solid, if we had say 3,500 drivers like Sefton are perfectly legitimate and I will say here
name. I don’t get many plaudits, so when I do I that’s 1,458 days solid or almost 4 years. The and now this is not aimed at them, some are
tend to grab hold and keep them. SC isn’t short paper trail and evidence required for the NVQ charlatans, quick buck merchants who are
for Stupid Clutz, it’s Star Columnist, and LL isn’t will potentially mean the reams of paper will not bothered about the travelling public but
Lazy Lad, it’s Leading Light. Please stop the decimate a few million trees en route, which is more interested in the cash the courses can
phone calls. good news for paper suppliers, but bad news attract. They’re like those top hat, one bottle
for squirrels! I’m sorry, as much as I want to fix all, elixir salesmen travelling the Wild West.
It’s learning Jim, but not as we know it see our industry as professional, doing all of The legitimate training companies, the ones
I was going to write this month about my this meaningless bureaucratic bullshit is just who take pride in their work, have to compete
recent conversion to the new god of training, plain costly and expensive, merely makes and alongside ‘quick buck’ merchants who will
however, the more I learn about the courses justifies jobs. give a certificate for a day’s attendance on a
the more I become confused and the greater course. Of course, it is a little difficult to teach
my scepticism. Believe it or not, and judging We have a system, yes it’s old fashioned, but it a 70-odd-hour course in 8 hours, so that
does tend to get results. It’s called complaints. basically suggests short cuts are without doubt
Eurobus Access Range
8/9 seats plus full wheelchair access
by your responses you probably will believe
it, I left school with no qualifications at all. No If a driver smells to high heaven the customer being taken. I have heard stories of private
English, no maths, no history, no nowt. Yet for phones the council and says the driver they hire operators being offered a bounty for each
hired was a ‘minger’, then that puts the licensing driver delivered, I have heard similar of others,
Up to 9 seats
very little other reason than pure bad luck, I
NOW
have became a complete and utter cynic who
officer in a position where he or she has to deal apparently well-respected people in the taxi
with the dirty b*stard or tell the complainant her trade who should know better. Is this the way
90 or 120 PS Peugeot HDi engine
FROM ONLY £73
.95
WEEKLY
PLUS VAT
happens to be looked upon as the taxi trade’s
saviour. I’d have preferred to have played golf
nose may be to close to her backside. A clear we want this to go? I seriously don’t think so.
really. For example, I bet no other person writing
and effective route! If a driver cannot speak Can someone please explain to me how these
Side or rear wheelchair access
in any trade magazine would actually write
English, then why are they given a badge? If a qualifications - some of which are being taught
something so controversial as: ‘I quite like our
driver cannot fill in an application form in front of in pubs - are going to be of benefit to either the
Detachable or EasyGlide
TM
under-floor ramp
AND ONLY
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, because she
a licensing officer, because they cannot write, local authority, cab driver or most importantly
has large bezonkers’. Okay, I disagree with her
then why are they given a badge? Are licensing the travelling public? How can it be justified Air conditioning
on everything, but her bezonkers are beyond
officers so worried about being politically for example that a PH Operator can become a
reproach. You see, I hear the calls that we need
correct that they cannot say: ‘errm go away, training provider? Is there not a touch of interest Multiple seating options
£250 DEPOSIT
to be professionalised, I hear the calls that we
learn the language and we’ll go from there?’ I there? It’s like giving the fox the keys to the
need to make a quantum leap, but I see leaches,
actually think they are worried, which is sad, henhouse! Whoever is reading this, read this as
people selling courses to councils for a quick
and perhaps why these training schemes are a cry for help, we seriously need to be looked
buck, and selling courses that are of no use
brought in, which means the motive has more into, the NVQ is being looked upon as ‘Not Very
whatsoever to any of us. Yes, I want our trade to
to do with LOs looking after themselves than Qualified’ and nobody wants that, even me, and
be seen as a profession. Yes, I want to see an
towards any interest they may have for the appreciate this also, people don’t want to waste
element of worthwhile training, but the current
trade. It’s strange that an LO is apparently very their time on some sh*t certificate that isn’t
shambolic effort is like buying a plasma television
prepared to use delegated powers to suspend worth jack.
and then trying to do the ironing with it.
a driver, but not so quick to refuse applications
ain’t it? It’s perhaps the criteria stupid? Let’s
Let’s go to our councils
The NVQ method would appear to be a
look again at the system. The course has a
In all fairness to our councils, they are nice
complete and utter disaster for our trade and
module, which has got to be a decent size to
people, and I know some of them have high
one that could potentially suggest taxi training
attract accreditation, so it is, and the justification
standards, but in fairness, some are a tad
will bankrupt the entire country. Has someone
is that people like big books rather than short
innocent with the ways of the world (or perhaps
FIAT Freedom Mecedes-Benz M8 Ford Journey
sat down and done the mathematics here?
stories? For flips sake my granny could do
not as the case maybe). It seriously worries
There are 250 licensed drivers in Carlisle alone,
better, and she’s dead. Will taking one of these
me that a driver can have a licence revoked Full wheelchair access Full hackney specification
Full wheelchair access
which is pretty small compared to those large
courses make you a better cab driver? Pretty
for illegally plying for hire and showing porn
towns and cities out there. Yet if our council
doubtful really, most of you do the job properly
in his PHV, only to have a licence granted in
were to say: ‘right lads and lasses you’re all
anyway and have done so for many years.
another area, within weeks, by a more liberal
NOW
NOW NOW
FROM ONLY £46
.95
WEEKLY
PLUS VAT FROM ONLY £111
.95
WEEKLY
PLUS VAT FROM ONLY £59
.95
WEEKLY
PLUS VAT
gonna get free NVQs from the local college’, our
After all, an unblemished record of 30 or 40
minded licensing committee. That aside, and
250 people would cost someone about £450K.
years without complaint and repeat business
from personal experience (at least in Carlisle),
The NVQs only benefit is the free funding it
must stand for something mustn’t it? Errm, well
whilst I don’t always agree with the chair of
attracts, this leads the way for the add-on’s
according to some it doesn’t stand for anything,
AND ONLY
AND ONLY AND ONLY
our regulatory committee - the guy is a former
it can bring, this allows the equally piss poor
indeed, you could be the Basil Fawlty of cab
policeman - he seems to know bullshit when he
£250 DEPOSIT
£250 DEPOSIT £250 DEPOSIT
Btech to be taken on, as well as perhaps the
driving or Mother Teresa, the end result is you’ll
sees it. As a good number of people will know,
arguably more sensible literacy and numeracy
have to do the course. Why?
the past couple of months have seen me tour
learning. The NVQ itself would appear to be the UK. This would ordinarily be described as an
www.cabdirect.com
labour intensive, taking a minimum of 10 hours Let’s go to the leeches alcohol fuelled orgy of mayhem and destruction,
per student and slightly longer for the retarded Yep, taxi driver training has taken on a whole with a convenient excuse of speaking to taxi
Freephone 0800 587 9658
3 3
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52