Taxi Driver Online

Evening News (Edinburgh)

December 26,

New cabbies facing skills test in drive for passenger safety

NEW taxi drivers may have to sit tests before being allowed on the city's streets under plans being considered by council chiefs.

The 45-minute assessment would test driving skills, with an emphasis on passenger safety and comfort. The move is a bid to try to raise standards in both the taxi and private hire trades.

Council and industry leaders today said there had been a problem with drivers from outside the UK who had not sat driving tests to British standards.

Officials have been asked to draw up a report on how the tests will work in practice after the idea was mooted by the council's cab inspector. The cost of the assessment would be around GBP 60, to be covered by the driver, although a car for the test would also need to be bought.

Taxi groups today said the new tests would be welcome. Councillor Colin Keir, convener of the city's regulatory committee, said: "There does appear to be widespread support for this but there is still a lot of work to do.

"There has been an increase in drivers from outwith the UK, particularly Eastern Europe, where the standards and tests are not the same as the UK.

"It is felt that we need to ensure there is a good level of competence across the board."

The council capped the number of black cabs in the Capital at 1260 six years ago, but since then there has been a huge increase in the number of private hire vehicles.

There are around 790 private hire cars licensed in Edinburgh. Raymond Davidson, secretary of the Edinburgh Taxi Association, said: "I think there would be a lot of support for this among the trade. Anything that raises standards and increases the chance of a better experience for the passenger can only be a good thing.

"There have been problems with drivers from other countries, where the standards and rules are not quite as good as in the UK, so this would go some way to addressing that."

The council report suggested the on-road driving assessment of about 45 minutes would cover residential areas, busy arterial routes and reversing and manoeuvring.

Kenny Duncan, training manager at Lothian Community Transport Services, which has been put forward as a potential operator of the tests, said: "There is obviously no point in people repeating their driving tests, so we would see it more as a driving assessment.

"There is an obvious focus on the driver skills, but we also have to consider the passenger comfort and safety.

"I understand there have been issues with the standards of driving of non-EU nationals so the assessment would create a level playing field.

"A driving assessment used to be part of the brief before you could become a taxi driver many years ago and it is something that is done down south."
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