Taxi Driver Online

Hi everyone, just thought I'd join this site to see how you all are...

Like most peeps out there I'm off for a career change, I recently left my job of 4 1/2 years as a Network Manager, didn't like the job or the politics and the bull sh!t I had to put up with.

I've decided to give the PH a go, many peeps have talked about it. I have a friend who works with a guy who used to do PH and now works in demolition driving one of the wagons for a living and earns about £16k+ but he's looking at moving back into PH as he said it's more money etc, I guess it must be true.

I've just been to a local firm who is prepared to take me on and provide a car etc, all I have to do is get myself licenced, so he says...

Can anyone tell me what is the actual process? I've looked at the licence application form today and it says that I'd have to attend a seminar and undergo a driving test, a medical, a disability awareness course and verbal communication test.

Well I don't know about the seminar bit, probably something where someone talks to you for hours and you end up falling asleep in the corner somewhere. The driving test? Well I did that years ago and it was bad enough then. The medical, well I get that one as well as the dissability awareness. Verbal communication test, what the hell is all that about. I am English and speak English just as good as the Queen, although not as posh so what else is there to it?

I hope some of you guys out there are able to answer some if not all of the above, I'm from Brum by the way.

Cheers folks!

I'm just fine and dandy Steptoe, and your best bet is to search the site for the advice and info you need.

_________________
IDFIMH

Each of the 400 or so LAs have their own procedures, so without local knowledge it's difficult to say anything about this particular one.

Presumably the verbal communication bit is because of the number of immigrants in the trade who have difficulty with English - they certainly have such a test in New York

The DSA do a special test for taxi drivers, this could be the test you have to sit. It has quite a high failure rate, but since most drivers travel too close to the vehicle in front (say) then th is is hardly surprising. But it's not as if only a very few people pass the test, so it can't be that difficult, and any competent and experienced driver should be able to pass it.

Disability training is certainly on the increase as well.

Don't know about the seminar.

But I suspect that it will all be a piece of pi** for you, so I wouldn't worry about it, although the driving test probably trips up a few.

But no knowledge test? That's about all that many LAs do.

But since the process you are having to go through seems reasonably involved then it'll mean higher earnings in the long run, so in a way you should welcome it.

_________________
Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

Hi everyone, went to the council yesterday to get the forms processed and was told the earliest date they had was 3 weeks from now. I had a call this morning to say they had a slot for the verbal communication test this morning.

It was a load of worry about nothing, the test could've been done with my eyes closed.

I've now been told I have to sit before a commity once the CRB check has been done as I wasn't a very good lad 15 years ago and I declared it as I didn't want to go through the process and have it declined for not giving them the information.

I asked if this would hold me back on the application but the girl behind the desk said that it should'nt because it was so long ago.

Does anyone have any views on this or heard of similar stories?

Thanx.

Different councils have different rules, some allow officials to determine applications themselves, against a set criteria.

Unless your bit of badness was very very bad, and you had a long spell inside then you should be ok. Just go to the committee meeting, answer their questions by saying you know you did wrong but you have had 15 years of good conduct etc etc.

Don't tell the committee this, but I expect your CRB check is most probably better than many of theirs.

_________________
IDFIMH

Under the new guidelines the majority of offences committed 15 years ago are deemed spent. Since the Taxi trade is no longer subject to the old rehabilitation of offenders act which lays down a timeline of spent convictions the new process does have guidelines but they are not statutory such as they are in the ROA.

Sexual and violent offences fit into the main category of licence refusal.

Regards

JD

Thanks Sussex, no, I wasn't that bad, too be honest with you I wasn't going to mention it to them as it has been a SPENT conviction for many years, the only reason I did mention it to them was when I found out that a standard CRB check will provide every detail including SPENT convictions and I didn't want to run the risk of having my application thrown out for something as stupid as this. I only went down for month so I'm sure that outlines to most peeps that it was only a small matter of badness.

I also got stopped back in 96' for a SP30, don't expect this to matter as much either, I just wondered what the general outcome of the meeting might be, as you mention, their CRB might not be sqeeky clean either... Q the bent coppers

Thanks JD, I don't think I've ever been know as violent, I wasn't aware that the taxi trade isn't subject to the ROA, so I guess it's a good job that I did give it a mention then otherwise they could have regarded it as more dishonesty and refused the application, we'll just have to wait and see what the outcome is.

Just a quick addition to this.

I noticed on the form that maybe some of the reason the CRB is done is because of the contact made with the public and of course young children, in the light of this It may not be a problem as I have just done a stint of 4 1/2 years in education working with children of all ages, a CRB check was done when I started so I suppose if anything I would have been pulled up about it back then.