Taxi Driver Online

This should maybe just be added to the thread a few weeks ago.

But quite an interesting and important article, in my opinion at least


Clampdown on taxi licensing in Knowsley amid training provider issues

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/li ... d-34373831

It comes after Knowsley Council said it had been made aware of issues with marketing put out by training providers including suggestions of some form of association or approval from the local authority

Drivers hoping to secure a taxi and private hire driver licence in Knowsley will soon have to undergo more rigorous testing as the council clamps down on problems relating to third-party training providers.

People wanting to gain a licence in Knowsley have to pass a Level 2 Qualification in Transporting Passengers by Taxi and Private Hire, which can be completed with any individual company. The council’s licensing officers then carry out a one-hour-long written essential skills assessment on areas including safeguarding awareness, language proficiency, vehicle maintenance, health and safety and passenger assistance.

It comes after the council said it had been made aware of issues with marketing put out by training providers including suggestions of some form of association or approval from the local authority.

“Study guides” have also been offered by some providers appearing to try to provide answers to the council’s essential skills assessment, the local authority said.

This has “highlighted a real need to review the process for confirming driver standards, and whilst the service has been proactive in tackling concerns arising from third party providers […] and most effective way to ensure constant standards is to consider an entirely ‘in-house’ assessment.”

At a meeting on Wednesday, Knowsley’s Licensing Committee approved a recommendation to remove the need for the Level 2 Qualification and replace it with an entirely in-house approach to ensure “better control over the content and verification of standards”.

Councillors agreed to review the essential skills assessment to potentially enhance its content so it fits better with the overall City Region approach and can provide a suitable alternative to the qualification requirement.

It is proposed that the pool of possible questions be expanded and randomised for each individual applicant, so that no one sits the same test.

This would help remove the risk of third-party misrepresentation around the knowledge and qualification requirements, the council said.

Other options include digitising the test to include video speaking elements to better assess oral language skills. Council officers said that several drivers have been rejected in the past because their command of English was not sufficient.

Finally, they decided that the council would carry out an annual review of driver licence entry standards to make sure they remain fit for purpose.

Licensing team lead Antony Denton told the Licensing Committee these steps would create a “stronger mechanism to ensure the quality of those standards for all drivers”.

Asked by Green councillor Graham Golding if drivers will have to complete training milestones before completing the assessment, Mr Denton said that applicants would have to meet certain standards relating to their history and experience in their application before being put forward for the test.

Independent councillor David Hitchmough asked if the council is in a good position to absorb the increase in officer workload associated with the changes, and Mr Denton said that the team would look to make the tests more efficient.

For example, he said that digitising elements of the exam would also allow for automatic marking. He added: “We don’t anticipate it to be a massive increase in resources.”

In June, the council said that it was aware of a company called the Taxi Academy offering taxi driver qualifications and using the council’s logo without permission, as well as “sharing potentially misleading and inaccurate information in their promotion of the qualification”.

It said that the Taxi Academy was “making false statements that applications using [its] services will be given priority when submitting an application to Knowsley Council. This is untrue.”

It added: “In addition, the company’s claims may imply that anyone using their service is guaranteed to be issued with their Knowsley licence. Again, this is completely inaccurate.”

In response to these accusations, the Taxi Academy said that it could not identify any use of the Knowsley Council logo on its website.

A spokesperson added: “There may have been historical paperwork or documents produced some time ago that included the council’s logo, but we are not aware of any use of the logo on our current website.

“Taxi Academy is an independent training provider that supports individuals through the private hire licensing process.

"We have never stated, implied or suggested that applicants who use Taxi Academy receive any priority or preferential treatment from Knowsley Council. Any reference on our website to a faster or streamlined process relates solely to the efficiency of our own service.

“For example, where possible we arrange medicals without delay, assist applicants in completing their DBS applications on the day they attend, and help ensure all required documentation is completed correctly and promptly. This enables applicants to progress through their own preparation as efficiently as possible.

“Licensing decisions, application processing and waiting times are entirely matters for Knowsley Council, and we have never claimed otherwise.

“Our website references Knowsley Council because we provide training and support for applicants seeking licences issued by that authority, as we do for a number of licensing authorities across England.

“Those references are descriptive only and are not intended to imply endorsement, partnership or any special arrangement with the council.”

Elsewhere, councillors at the Licensing Committee meeting also agreed to require hackney carriages and private hire vehicles to meet certain emissions standards. In order to be able to register with the council, a hackney carriage will now need to have been manufactured after January 2011, and a private hire vehicle would need to date from after September 2014.

In house often causes issues I'm sure we will be reading stories of gripes within 12 months

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

One has to wonder if the council would have been better served if they had engaged with the drivers' agency.

As for giving the drivers the answers, well, isn't that the whole point of teaching them? The issue appears to be the numpty council were keeping to the same questions.

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IDFIMH