A misprint on the *policy* change means the PH knowledge test is dropped, until after the May elections at least
But guess which word about the *policy* change the article manages to misspell?
Council blunder means private hire cabbies don't have to do 'knowledge' test
https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/p ... re-6919621
Only new hackney cab drivers now have to learn the map of city streets after Plymouth City Council misprint accidentally got voted through
A Plymouth City Council blunder has meant new private hire taxi drivers won’t have to take the famous “knowledge” test of the city’s streets. Councillors voted to accept a controversial new taxi licensing policy in March 2022 - but a misprint that wasn’t noticed meant they approved the test for new black cab hackney drivers only.
So, from May 1, 2022, anyone who fancies becoming a private hire driver won’t have to spend days scrutinising the map of Plymouth, learning its geography and the best routes to get a passenger from A to B. The council said it may now have to amend the policy but can only do this at a full council meeting, which can’t be called until after the May local elections.
It is the second taxi-related embarrassment to hit the council in a matter of days after it emerged signs directing the public to new city centre taxi ranks had not been put in place. Hackney drivers said they were losing income because patrons didn’t know where to find a taxi while the traditional Old Town Street rank was out of commission due to city centre redevelopment works.
Martin Leaves, secretary of the hackney cabbies’ Plymouth Licensed Taxi Association (PLTA), said the latest council gaffe is damaging for the overall taxi profession and said it could shake public faith in the service. He said: “We think everyone should do the knowledge test, it’s part of the skills needed.”
He added: “Some people say not having the knowledge test would make it quicker to recruit drivers, but do we want them driving around using a satnav? We want drivers to be professional, and to be professional they should do the knowledge test.
"These are serious times, we want to protect women against violence and need to make sure we have professional drivers, particularly for people with learning difficulties. You wouldn’t want someone to do your electrics if they were not fully qualified, and no one wants to get in a taxi where the driver doesn’t know where they are going.”
Plymouth councillors approved the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy 2022 at its March full council meeting. The police has been dogged with controversy because it removes the limit on hackney cab numbers and insists the famous black cabs are coloured green and white by 2027.
The council had wanted to remove the necessity of private hire drivers having to pass the the Knowledge of Plymouth (KOP) Topographical Test as a prerequisite to getting a licence. It had argued a hackney cab is for immediate public hire, and needs instant knowledge of the fastest route, whereas a private hire must be pre-booked so can determine the route prior to picking-up the passenger.
But this suggestion had been dropped. The document the councillors voted on, however, still contained the wording “Topographical Knowledge of Plymouth (KOP) test (for hackney carriage applications only)”.
A Plymouth City Council spokesperson said: “Unfortunately the line in the taxi licensing policy stating ‘for hackney carriage applications only’ in reference to the KOP test should have been removed. However, because this was approved at full council the policy will be implemented as published. This means that from May 1, 2022, all new private hire applicants will not be required to complete the KOP test. We are sorry for any confusion caused and will be reviewing this to determine whether to return the policy back to full council.”
Meanwhile, hackney cab drivers are still awaiting signage to be placed in the city centre informing people of the locations of new ranks. Plymouth City Council has admitted that due to a “misunderstanding” contractor Mildren Construction had not put up any signs. The authority apologised for the foul-up and promised to rectify the situation.
Mr Leaves said he had waited 40 minutes at the new rank in Cornwall Street, before anyone got in his taxi. He said the average wait in Old Town Street was about 10 minutes. He said some drivers had reported waiting more than three hours on the new rank and said signage needs to be in place without delay. He said: “Drivers are getting really anxious.”
