I used London as the prime example where only ‘taxis’ are allowed to use bus lanes and this means all hackney carriages from anywhere, as my Brighton & Hove saloon hackney has used London bus lanes a few times with no problems, as well as saloon hackneys belonging to colleagues. Where there has been a PCN issued to a B&H hackney, this is cancelled when proof is submitted that it is a hackney carriage.


I also reminded ESCC that ‘taxis’ being hackneys can drop-off and set-down on bus stops, but not PHVs as further evidence of what a ‘taxi’ is.


ESCC initially politely resisted; but after further communication from me insisting that ESCC was wrong, I received an email effectively conceding that I was right and that all the signs along the coast road will be changed to include ‘Authorised Vehicles’. and, again, praise to ESCC.


So, if your council allows PHVs to use bus lanes and only has the word ‘Taxi’ on it, then the council needs to change those signs. It is absolutely irrelevant if PHVs are generically/locally referred to as taxis as they are not hackney carriages, period.


And maybe…just maybe… whilst all ‘taxis’ can use bus lanes where indicated, also push your council to only allow locally licensed PHVs to be able to use bus lanes in an effort to curb out-of-town PHVs predominantly out of area working POAW, which is something I am currently working on here.


English language test


Brighton and Hove has the requirement for a new taxi/PH driver licence applicant to take an English Language test, just like a lot of other areas. At Streamline here we had a Chichester driver making an enquiry about doing the Streamline knowledge test to become locally licensed, and good for him too.


He was advised by B&H licensing to use the online ‘Practice English Language Test’, as is now the standard requirement for all new applicants. He tried a few times but kept coming up with a low score of 40/90. I contacted B&H licensing because as far as I was concerned he was very capable of communi- cating with me during a telephone call I had with him, even though English was not his first language. I said that I would take the test myself to see what was involved, so got the link, paid the £13 fee, went online and started the test. Maybe try the practice test yourself tiny.cc/english-test


PHTM SEPTEMBER 2025


I was greeted with a computerised audio message that was distinctively robotic ‘Americaneese’ and was directed through various tasks of reading and repeating paragraphs, plus what I thought was actually more of a memory test on the last three questions.


Having finished the test I eagerly waited for the results and got an average score of 55/90. Well, that was very disappointing. The comments on my test were:


“Fluency: GSE: 41/90Versant: 45/80 CEFR: A2Tips to improve:


Candidate speaks with uneven or staccato pacing, although speech may contain some smooth phrases. Frequent obvious pauses result in an irregular speech rate and some disconnected phrases.


Join a conversation group and practice speaking on topics such as work and hobbies. Focus on speaking fluently rather than accurately. Practice giving descriptions of your friends and family without pausing or using fillers.”


Cheek! My natural speaking voice when I am facing questions is to pause and not gabble… learnt that from my old amateur dramatics days… but this was not recognised.


“Pronunciation: GSE: 38/90 Versant: 43/80 CEFR: A2+


Candidate consistently pronounces certain consonants and vowels in a non-native manner. Stress may be placed incorrectly in some words, or stress placement may be ambiguous.


Tips to improve: practice reading a newspaper or magazine article aloud, placing stress appropriately throughout. Find a list of minimal pairs in English and practice reading them aloud, noting the different sounds between the words.”


Double cheek and what a load of tosh!


I screen recorded the practice test, sent it to licensing and put it to them that the practice test is flawed and needs revising and also asked if any licensing officer has taken the test.


At the time of writing this I have not had a reply.


I prezume wot I rote in thut emale woz in perfic englesh….


65


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