Taxi Driver Online

Wonder what all the fuss was about here. Pass mark of *one* part of a two part knowledge test reduced from 85% to 75%. Other pass mark remains at 85%. Hardly seems worth the bother whether you're for or against, unless there's been lots of failures between 75%. and 85%


Knowledge test pass mark lowered for Highland taxi drivers

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/ne ... i-drivers/

Highland taxi drivers are to be cut some slack in their region-wide Knowledge test.

Councillors yesterday agreed to drop the pass mark for that part of the exam from 85% to 75%.

The pass mark for The Knowledge within the drivers’ own area remains at 85%.

The decision was taken by the Highland Licensing Committee, after consultation with taxi and private hire companies in Dingwall, Fort William, Inverness and Wick.

Drivers face six pages of regional route questions and general tourism knowledge before tackling the local part of their test.

Councillors heard how three operators in Wick said the 85% pass mark for the Highland-wide test was unnecessarily high, given that most vehicles were fitted with satnav.

Wick councillor Willie Mackay said: “This test has been on the go for some time now and we’ve got to move with the times. Satnav can pretty much take you to the front door of any premises you wish to go. I’d be struggling to answer some of the geographical and landmark questions in the test, so I’d be keen to see the pass mark dropped to somewhere around 70%.”

Thurso and Northwest councillor Karl Rosie said he was concerned at any lowering in standards.

He said: “Tourism is such an important part of the Highlands and how we look to the future, it should be incumbent on all of us to be ambassadors for the area we’re in, so having a good knowledge of routes and surrounding environments can only be an advantage. I think we should aspire to at least maintaining standards, I’m not so keen on reducing them.”

Councillors also heard how recruiting drivers in areas like Caithness was an ongoing problem.

Aird and Loch Ness councillor Emma Knox said: “If I was in Caithness, I think I’d prefer to have a taxi that maybe has to use satnav than not to be able to find a taxi at all. I agree 75% seems reasonable in the circumstances.”

Councillors approved the 75% pass mark, effective from today.

For completeness, a story from the same area about a fare rise. It's all happening in the Highlands.

Hike on Highland taxi fares on the cards

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/ne ... the-cards/

An increase in taxi fares is on the cards this autumn for Highland travellers after councillors agreed to put a series of tariff hikes out for public consultation.

Highland Licensing Board members consulted taxi and private hire operators in Dingwall, Inverness, Wick and Fort William to come up with a range of draft proposals.

Duncan Fraser of Inverness Taxi Alliance (ITA) told members that they advised an increase in night tariffs as there was only 10p a mile difference between day and night work, not an incentive to encourage drivers to work at night.

Mr Fraser said ITA also recommended an increase in tariffs for bigger vehicles carrying at least five passengers.

He said: “It’s mainly due to the rising costs in running bigger vehicles. They’re a lot more expensive to run, and in the Highlands a lot of these vehicles are necessary for the school contracts, which the council do need. They have to double up as taxis.”

He added that ITA preferred not to see an increase in ‘flag fall’, the figure already on the clock when the passenger alights.

At the moment, Highland ranks 10th from the top in the list of Scottish local authority charges, with the cost of a two mile fare at £5.80, compared to East Lothian’s £6.80 at the top of the table and Falkirk’s £4.70 at the bottom.

Raymond Munro, co-owner of Sneckie Taxis said his company is the only one in Inverness which employs drivers and consequently faces rising costs.

He said: “We have a minimum wage increase of 5%, employer’s pensions increase of 3% this year, card payment charges which can’t be recovered now because of a change in the law, and an insurance increase of approximately 22% coming up over the next two years.”

Charles Cumming of Dingwall proposed a range of fare increases of up to 18.5% on average depending on time of day and mileage.

Councillors eventually agreed to an increase in daytime ‘flag fall’ from £3 to £3.50 and £2 per mile thereafter.

For night time journeys, a flag fall of £4 (currently £3.30) was agreed with £2.50 per running mile.

Further hikes were suggested for fares on bigger vehicles and on public holidays.

Councillors threw out the idea of an airport ‘meet and greet’ charge for waiting for travellers and helping them with their luggage, but agreed that airport parking charges could be passed on to passengers.

The proposals will be publicised in the Press & Journal and on the council’s website, with feedback from the public invited by the end of June.

The results of the public consultation will be considered by the Highland Licensing Committee on August 7, and any revised fares would come into effect in mid-October.

Must take the thick end of a year between the consultation commencement and the fare rise implementation. What a way to run anything.

are you suggesting councilors in that part of the uk are educationally substandard

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Indeed, if someone can get 75% I'm quite sure 85% will not be too onerous.

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IDFIMH

More on the meet and greet charge requested:



Because our nearest airport is well outside the area where the meter is used I hadn't really thought about this, but if a hackney has an airport pickup inside their metered area then that means they could be waiting for an hour or more without being able to use the meter?

But not sure what Mr MacDonald's point about *independent* drivers is - the problem surely applies to all hackneys?

But surely waiting time applies here?

If a driver is waiting, then he can charge for that.

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IDFIMH

I suppose the problem is at what point the meter can be activated.

Looking at an HC tariff card the other day (can't remember where) and it said the meter can't be activated until the passenger is safely in the cab and ready to go.

I think that's an issue in other contexts as well.

That well be the case in many areas.

Down here the meter/fare starts when you are engaged by the punter.

Be that a wave from the window or when you are helping load the punters luggage/shopping etc.

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IDFIMH