..COUNCILS STOKE-ON-TRENT:
TEST DELAYED AS DRIVERSQUIZZED
Plans to introduce a new driving test for taxi drivers will be put on hold while cabbies are consulted.
The Driving Standards Agency wants to bring in a specific driving test for taxi and private hire drivers to raise driving standards. Last month the council’s licensing and consumer protection committee decided to make the test mandatory for all
new cabbies and use it as an option for cases heard by the licensing panel. The new test was due to come into force from April 1.
Cabbies will have to pay for the test them- selves. It costs £78 on weekdays, or £94 on a weekend or evening. Members of the coun- cil’s committee were to meet to discuss postponing the test. A report to the commit-
tee states: “Since the decision was made to implement the test for all new drivers, con- cerns have been raised by the hackney carriage and private hire trade.” Cabbie Dave Burgess- Pearson, from Buck- nall, told the Stoke Sen- tinel: “I think the consultation is a good idea, but they need to ask every taxi driver what they think, not just a couple.”
SHEFFIELD: HANDBOOK AIMS AT BETTERTAXI SERVICE
Taxi drivers in Sheffield are being issued with a new handbook to help them provide a better service to passengers. The handbook covers issues such as how to communicate with the public, how to deal with dangerous situations and advice on proce- dures for lost property, cancelled bookings and health and safety. It has been created by Sheffield City Taxis for its network of 750 self-
employed private hire drivers, which repre- sents around 65 per cent of the PHVs in Sheffield.
Arnie Singh, director at Sheffield City Taxis, told the Yorkshire Post: “This is a big step forward for our company and the pri- vate hire industry in Sheffield as a whole. “I hope that our future training programmes will help to deliver a more consistent cus- tomer service to our
ever growing client base.”
As well as issuing the handbook, the firm is also working towards becoming a training centre for drivers where they can take either an NVQ level 2 or a BTEC qualification. Should it be successful in becoming an accred- ited training centre, any cabbies working in Sheffield would be wel- come to attend courses and gain these qualifications.
NORTH WEST LEICS: DOUBTSOVER EXTRATESTING
From last month, pri- vate hire drivers in North West Leicester- shire will have to pass a “knowledge” test on local routes, as well as a criminal records check and an extra driving test.
The district council is the latest authority in the county to introduce stricter tests for drivers. Some fear this could lead to a shortage of cabs in the district. Under the old system, anyone could apply for a private hire licence and start work within a few days. Traditionally, drivers would then work for a few years before becoming a hackney
APRIL 2010 PHTM
carriage driver, which requires the knowl- edge tests.
Dave Underwood is managing director of Coalville Yellow Cabs, which is already short of drivers. He told the Leicester Mercury: “I don’t think it’s going to improve the quality of drivers, it’s just going to make it tougher for us to attract drivers and it will take a few months, instead of a few days, for a new driver to start. “We have 63 cars and we’re currently six or seven drivers below capacity, and now the council has made it even more difficult for them to get a licence.”
The new rules will also include a requirement for drivers to have a medical every three years.
New drivers will be tested on their English, ability to write a receipt, knowledge of taxi law, the Highway Code, traf- fic signs, routes and key places. There will also be a test of con- versational skills. Councillor Alison Smith said: “By tight- ening up our policies for taxi drivers, we are giving our residents the confidence that when they get into a taxi the driver knows where he is going and how to get there legal- ly and safely.”
CASTLE POINT: DELAYOVERTAXI CHANGES
Proposals to make more Castle Point taxis wheelchair accessible have been delayed because the council needs to gath- er more information before making a deci- sion.
According to the Southend Evening Echo, Castle Point Council’s licensing committee met recent- ly to discuss plans to make all new hackney carriage vehicles accessible for wheel-
chair users.
The proposals have been opposed by some private hire drivers because they fear it will be more dif- ficult to get lucrative hackney carriage licences.
MANCHESTER: ‘GAMBLINGWITHOUR LIVELIHOODS’
Proposals to make black cab drivers enter into a lottery for their licences would discriminate against religions that strictly forbid gambling, a politician has claimed. Qassim Afzal said that minority faiths, includ- ing Muslims, Metho- dists, Mormons and Quakers, were banned from entering any draw and conse- quently would be penalised. According to the North East Manches- ter Advertiser, Man- chester City Council is considering introduc- ing a lottery to decide which cabbies get licences to operate black cabs.
There are currently 2,000 licensed hack- ney carriage drivers in Manchester - who would all be eligible to apply for a plate through the lottery. At the moment there are 1,031 plates, with another 58 to be issued shortly.
A Manchester Imam has been consulted by town hall bosses, who has said that the sys- tem being considered would not go against religious teachings. But Mr Afzal, who plans to stand as for MP for Gorton for the Liberal Democrats in the forthcoming gener- al election, believes the option - one of a series being consid- ered by Manchester City Council - is unac- ceptable and an unfair method of distributing
the prized plates. He said: “Some local peo- ple say a lottery system is deeply offen- sive not just to many Muslims but also to a number of Christian denominations.
“Cabbies will be forced to play roulette for their livelihoods. You can’t have a poli- cy based on chance. I find it ridiculous that in a modern society a person’s livelihood is dictated by a lottery that is discriminato- ry.”
His idea instead is to list in order of service the names of appli- cants onto a trade-only website that can be accessed by candi- dates who can track their position and chal- lenge the eligibility of others where neces- sary. At the moment the strictly issued plates are handed out with priority going to those who had served the longest.
Councillor Richard Cowell, Manchester City Council’s execu- tive member for the environment, said a review was taking place “following an extensive consultation with the public and the trade.”
He added: “A number of alternative systems have been considered and a cross-party sub committee has recom- mended a random selection process, enabling experienced drivers to register their interest in receiving one of the plates. I can
reassure drivers that this does not consti- tute gambling. We have taken advice from Imam Arshad Misbahi of the Man- chester Central Mosque, who has con- firmed this and says it does not go against religious teachings.” But George Simms, secretary of Manches- ter’s Taxi Owners Association, reluc- tantly agreed that a lottery to determine plate distribution may be the only workable option. “Before, some people fiddled their length of service and caused havoc at the town hall while offi- cials investigated,” he said. “We already have cabs sitting waiting on top of cabs so we certain- ly don’t want dereg- ulation.”
He agreed that a lot- tery could be construed as unfair for veterans who may lose out to comparative newcomers but his research proved it was the lesser of all evils. “It is nightmare no matter how you look at it,” he said.
“The business is in a terrible state. There are 200 ranks across the city and cabs are standing still; some drivers’ plight is exac- erbated by having trouble finding some- where to legally park.” Mr Simms said he is researching whether a lottery without remu- neration compromised any religion.
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