Deadline looms for taxi drivers to meet criteriaDundee taxi drivers could be taken off the road if they do not sign up to the limited places on a mandatory course.
By May 2017 all drivers in the city will have had to complete an SVQ course in road passenger vehicle driving before being granted a licence.
With an estimated 1,300 drivers in the city and only 100 having completed the course by the start of this year, many are worried time is running out for them to do so.
At a meeting of the council’s taxi liaison group it was noted that uptake of the course has been slow since it was introduced more than a year ago, with cost being cited as a main reason.
It costs £400 for the taxi drivers’ union course and £375 for the college fast-track module.
The union version takes three months to complete, with the college module taking just a fortnight.
Going at the current pace, 12 drivers would need to pass the course each week until the deadline for all drivers in the city to meet the criteria.
Just eight drivers are completing the course every few weeks and the union has not run a course since September.
Drivers have said they are worried the rush for places could lock out hundreds of them unable to sign on to a course before the deadline.
Dundee Taxi Association chairman Graeme Stephen backed the course and said: “I’ve been driving a cab for 20 years and even I picked up a few things.
“The cost could be a factor, and there is a grant of £200 for training that can mitigate the cost a little.”
Dundee and Angus College said a rush of applicants could be dealt with by putting on additional courses should the need arise.
source:
http://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/news/ ... a-1.861447
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