ROUND THE COUNCILS GLASGOW:
ANGER OVER NEW TAXI DRIVERS’ EXAM
Glasgow City Council (GCC) has been warned that the intro- duction of new licence requirements for cab drivers will threaten the taxi trade, causing further shortages in the city. According to the Scottish Daily Express, all drivers will be required to pass a new exam drawn up by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), testing them on their knowledge of health and safety as well as demonstrating they can speak good English. Other aspects of the ‘Certificate in Introduction to the Role of the Professional Taxi and Private Hire Driver’ include vehicle maintenance, routes and fares, safely carrying lug- gage and “providing a professional customer service”. But fuming Mark Beattie, 56, said the new requirement will “completely discourage” people from entering the trade, with the firm he works for currently having a whopping 40 per cent vacancy gap. Taxi drivers in Glasgow are expected to stump money out of their own pockets for the compulsory SCQF level 5 exam, with a grant available only to those who are earning under a certain threshold. Mr Beattie said: “What the council should not be doing is standing in the way or exacerbating the problem, making it much much worse for the general public to get a cab. To do this at this point in time seems ludicrous to me.” Mr Beattie said he knows taxi drivers in their 70s who are being told when they next apply for their badge renewal they will have to pass the compulsory exam first. He added: “In my opinion, they could have waived it for some people. I think it will completely discourage members of the trade particularly the older people who are nearing retirement, as when their badge comes up for renewal they won’t bother at that age why should they have to sit exams? “Why should I have to go after working in the trade for nearly 30 years to sit an exam and pass a test to tell me I am competent to do the same job I have been doing for all these years, I think it is a disgrace and unfair.” The new licence requirement was first suggested by Unite – Glasgow Cab Section and taken up by GCC licensing committee, before coming into force on January 1 this year. Alex Wilson, chairman of the licensing board, told Glasgow Live: “We are hoping the qualification will raise the standards of our drivers. It is going to replace the existing customer care course which is really outdated. “The qualification will include a language test and suitable ways to help passengers with disabilities and mental health problems. There is already a code of conduct in place for taxi drivers but this new policy will include private hires. “It will be mandatory for every new driver to complete. Existing drivers will have to complete it before they renew their licence. “We want drivers that know their way around Glasgow.”
JANUARY 2022
PLYMOUTH: PROPOSED COLOUR AND CAP CHANGES ANGER
Taxi drivers have been left up in arms by plans to scrap the cap on the number of hackney carriages in Plymouth and for them to all turn green and white. PlymouthLive reports that the proposals could see more taxis on Plymouth streets, greener, lower emission vehicles and a green and white livery, with the aim to reverse the trend of falling numbers of drivers. The scheme is currently being consulted on by Plymouth City Council, but Martin Leaves, secretary of Plymouth Licensed Taxi Association said that it could even force plenty of drivers into retirement, thus defeating the purpose of the proposals to increase the numbers. He said: “A lot of the drivers are deeply upset and angry by this and some are feeling that they won’t renew their badges and will be pushed into retirement early. “Not everyone will be able to afford £60/70,000 vehicles to go electric. For someone in their 50 or 60s, buying one is not worth it if they have perfectly healthy cabs, and they are worried they will have to dump their vehicles when they bought them to last until retirement. “It is all putting more expense on the taxi driver. We are having to pay for a DBS check every year, CCTV in the cab, card reader machines, having to wrap the taxi in the colours they want, EVs which they cannot afford, but don’t have the infrastructure. We all know we have to go electric at some stage but common sense is to put the infrastructure first.” The green and white livery measures which were first proposed in 2017 are back on the table as a measure to increase confidence from the public. Cllr John Riley, cabinet member for governance, human resources, IT, community safety and licensing, said: “We are proposing a gradual move to this new livery so that drivers and operators won’t be hit too hard financially.” Mr Leaves added: “The new livery is going to cost taxi drivers a lot of money. I had a quote of £2,700, we are talking silly money for nothing. Some of us do weddings, I do funeral work, so do they really want to see a taxi turning up green and white looking like an ice cream van? “We need to support the trade a bit more and let them get back on their feet. There is not a shortage of taxis but a shortage of drivers who want to work nights because of the aggressive behaviour. If there were more support then there could be more drivers at night.” Mr Leaves said that taxi drivers are angry and while they don’t want to go down the road of protesting, they feel that if the plans go ahead, it will have a detrimental impact on the trade. “We want to encourage people to write to the council and take part in the consultation otherwise there will be less taxis on the road.”
https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/licensingandpermits/taxi licensing/taxipolicyguidanceandbyelaws
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