Taxi Driver Online

New taxi drivers may have to prove they can speak English to get a licence in one part of Greater Manchester

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk ... t-15168885

The local knowledge test could be returning too

New taxi drivers may have to prove they can speak English - and pass a local knowledge test - before being allowed behind the wheel in Trafford.

There are also plans to provide a dual badge for both Hackney carriage and private hire drivers - and the cost of a licence is set to go up.

Council chiefs plan to ask applicants to provide a relevant English language certificate.

They have not yet decided on the new fee because the format of the local knowledge exam needs to be agreed, and the work involved calculated.

The cost of a three-year licence is currently £432 and includes the price of a training course and DBS check.

Town hall bosses plans to change the current system in a bid to crackdown on the number of licence applications it receives from out of town drivers.

In 2015, Trafford council scrapped the requirement for taxi drivers to pass a knowledge test - the only town hall in Greater Manchester to do so.

The range of acceptable qualifications to prove English skills was also extended, in a bid to speed up the process.

But since a change in policy the council has received 'several thousand' expressions of interest from drivers wanting a licence.

“A significant amount of these are from people living out of the area," a town hall report reads.

"In the absence of a local knowledge test there seems to be a perception with applicants that it is easier to obtain a licence in Trafford than other authorities."

Members of the council's public protection sub-committee will consider the plan on Thursday.

The town hall ran a public consultation on the changes in June. Nearly 700 people responded.

A report said some agreed with the reintroduction of the knowledge test, saying it's ‘frustrating’ drivers are not familiar with the area and take longer routes than necessary.

Others said sat navs have made the test ‘obsolete’.

There was strong support for a requirement for drivers to speak fluent English, the report added.

"Everyone who responded said good communication was an essential part of being a driver - particularly for vulnerable people using the service,” papers added.

Paul Kinsey, chairman of Trafford Taxi Drivers Association, welcomed the plans.

He said the council should never have scrapped the local knowledge test - or relaxed the rules around applicants providing proof of English language skills.

"That was a huge mistake," he said.

“This is a really hard job, we need good quality drivers, and not the kind that rip people off by taking them the longest route because they don’t know the area.

“Relying on a sat nav just isn’t good enough - and not having skills to communicate properly is even more frustrating because it can put customers off."

The Altrincham-based driver of 25 years said of the business: “It’s not the same anymore. It’s a real struggle for anyone trying to survive. There isn’t enough work to go around.

"We have lost a lot of good drivers due to lack of work.

"But we are hopeful these changes will go some way to improving things."