42 PRIVATE HIRE AND TAXI MONTHLY
TESTING TIMES!!!
TAXI DRIVERS PUT TO THE TEST IN FENLAND
Taxi drivers in parts of Fenland will be told they must pass a writ- ten and spoken test in English or risk losing their licence.
The policy is being introduced by South Holland District Coun- cil and all 337 existing drivers will be forced to take the test when they renew their licences. Craig Fowler, the council’s team leader for licensing, says there will be a written and spoken test. “This would include answer- ing some verbal questions, writing a simple receipt and explaining their under- standing of certain
conditions on the licence,” he told the Wisbech Standard. “Applicants or existing licensed drivers who fail the test would not be licensed or have their licence renewed on the basis that they are not fit and proper to hold a licence.” Mr Fowler said the new tests were con- sidered necessary “for public protection and an occupational requirement” and they anticipated up to 120 tests a year.
South Holland Council asked existing drivers for their views on the policy and Mr Fowler said they had been “generally supportive
of this proposal”. Other local authorities are already conduct- ing such tests and some are placing more onerous require- ments than those being proposed. The council is being recommended to approve the scheme and to introduce a payment for each test to help pay staffing costs. Mr Fowler said if the policy was not intro- duced, it could mean the council being held responsible, for exam- ple, if a driver’s failure to speak and under- stand English caused or contributed to an accident.
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BOURNEMOUTH CABBIES LOSE APPEAL AGAINST TAKING EXAM
Two taxi drivers who went to court over Bournemouth council’s controversial policy that all cabbies need to pass an exam have lost their case.
The drivers had had their licences suspend- ed by the council because they had failed to pass a Transporting Passengers by Taxi and Private Hire course within three years. On Wednesday, they took their case to Bournemouth Magis- trates’ Court but deputy district judge Mr Pattinson said he could not challenge or comment on the coun- cil policy.
He refused both appeals on the basis
that the drivers had not obtained the nec- essary BTEC qualification and ordered them to pay £500 each towards the council’s legal costs. Two other drivers, who had also had their licences suspended, had their appeals dis- missed as they had since gone on and achieved the required qualification. They also had to pay £500 each towards the council’s legal costs. Councillor Andrew Morgan, chair of the licensing board, told the Bournemouth Daily Echo: “With more and more drivers working to gain their qualiflca- tion, the council
anticipates that all Bournemouth taxi and private hire vehicles will soon have an appropriately qualified driver at the wheel. “This sets the stan- dard for other local authorities to follow.” Since the council set the qualification policy in February 2005, just under 1,000 drivers have successfully qual- ified.
The handful of driv- ers that have not yet managed to gain a BTEC are being given help in working towards the qualifica- tions.
Bournemouth council is the first in the country to require such a quali- fication.
CHARNWOOD COUNCIL FOLLOWS BOURNEMOUTH’S LEAD
Charnwood Council gave their drivers three years to take the BTEC qualification, exactly the same time scale as Bournemouth.
Their drivers were to
have completed by December 2008, but a number have failed to complete the course and are now under sus- pension.
The drivers who have signed up for the
course can continue to work.
It is not as yet known whether any of the driv- ers are appealing their suspensions, but as usual... watch this space...
MARCH 2009
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