Taxi Driver Online

Taxi drivers face new exams
Taxi drivers could be sent back to school following complaints from customers.
Councillors are meeting today, Thursday, to discuss introducing a qualification for new private hire and hackney carriage drivers in Preston.

The move comes after the council received 52 complaints from the public last year, 55 in 2004/5 and 67 in 2003/4 about drivers and operators.

If approved, Preston would become the second council in the country to introduce a compulsory test to gain a licence.

Keith McNicholas, secretary of the Preston Hackney Carriage Association, said: "Anything that improves the taxi service is a good thing. This isn't about penalising drivers, it's for the benefit of the trade and the customer."

Mike Thorpe, the council's head of licensing and electoral services, said: "We've consulted with taxi organisations, disability groups and the public and found that more training is needed to improve issues such as driver conduct and customer care."

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin