Taxi Driver Online

We've got a company coming in to train us all to be good Taxi drivers, after the test they will give us a certificate and a NVQ qualification. The above test is free but in 2010 it will cost £900.

I've been taxi driving for 20 years, I've got my PSV and HGV class 2, do I really need to take this stupid test? Are all Councils bringing it in and will it be a condition of your licence to take this stupid test?

so you need to start up a NVQ training company NOW

dont wait, get your nose in the trough, and no more late nights!

heres crazy

to run a 8 passenger PH or HC i need:-

medical
CRB
badge
ops licence


and a vehicle less than 5 years old

to run a 16 seater i need

medical
no crb
D1 licence (theory+practical+driver cpc)
current PH ops licence

roadworthy vehicle

so its cheaper to set up with the 16 seater!

There are pro's and cons with NVQ and other types of training BUT would you like to get on a Boeing 747 with a pilot who has flown for 25 years and didn't bother to use the simulators to keep abreast of what is going on.
At the moment there does seem to be little advantage to be gained by doing it compared to those that don't do it but maybe if pressure is brought to bear on councils that want NVQ's etc to only award contracts to accredited drivers, that may go some way to make it more palatable.

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you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.

They've just made it compulsory in Leeds, new applications have 12 months to do it in and all existing badge holders have until December 2011 to complete it. Free until funding runs out. Both Hackney & Private Hire. I would advise you to take it asap and then apply to be an assessor, being paid about £330 for each badge holder that passes in Leeds.

how much of that does the council cream off?

I don't think the council make anything out of it this time, all hacks had to pay £40 last year for a DDA awareness course + a days loss of earnings.

Took thiis last week as it's going to come compulsory soon Hardest part of it? Trying to stay awake while litening to the tutor after a night shift

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Life? Don't talk to me about life!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjm2eslm6hI

I think an NVQ is great for all new entrants, but shouldn't be made compulsory for existing drivers, unless they are subject to a number of customers complaints, and the course will help them keep their license.

If all the new entrance requirements i.e. knowledge test, DSA test, grammar and numeracy tests, medical, crb etc could all be bundled up into a NVQ test, then I think it's a great idea, as drivers will be rewarded for all the work involved in getting a taxi/PH license.

But I'm not convinced the money will still keep on coming to finance these tests from the gov, and someone recently told me that the gov currently pay £1,800 a driver.

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IDFIMH

Cheers Sussex just the reply I wanted

The government probably pay this amount because that is what they are told that it costs. If drivers had to pay themselves I would bet the cost would be a lot lower.

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Grandad,

Is the course available in urdu, punjabi, polish, bulgarian or is there a risk of accusations of racial discrimination, and is part of it an english test both written and spoken?....

BTW, if you wanna see some REAL borrox where training and "I.I.P." is concerned, look up "kaizen training"


it seems to me office staff aka "managers", get paid to justify just thier own very existence

http://www.kaizen-training.com/

The course is in English only but I know there are some Asian assessors who are teaching it in Urdu, Punjabi etc.

I know exactly when it all went wrong


when "personnel officers" became "human resource managers"


roughly about 1999/2000 or just before

since then its gone radio rental+pete tong

Here you have to do the BTec which use to be free but now they have run out of funding, so to get the BTec free you have to do the NVQ. If you don't do the NVQ it'll cost about £150.00 to do the BTec so I'm told. I've completed the NVQ and start the A1 Assessors course on Friday I see this as another notch on my belt and more options for work, didn't see any other benefit of doing the NVQ otherwise. As regards to how much colleges get for each student I've heard 2 figures a) £2,500 and b) £4,000 don't know which one is true if any. Still haven't found out how much I'll be paid for assessing students yet but obviously it'll have to be enough to take me out of my taxi.

I think all new prospective drivers should have to have proper training as I've stated previously and current drivers should just have a refresh on customer skills and driving abilities. It's only going to take one person to sue the council for issuing a badge to a person who is not a fit driver and the council has no defence because they never bothered to check so there is no 'due diligence' on their part. I don't believe it is sufficient to say that they had a clean licence for 12 months, that could have been obtained on the moon for all we know

Once again I find that training people in a language that is not native to the country they work in is disgraceful. It would be far better to educate them to speak the native language. I of course probably won't have to deal with drivers who's main language is Urdu or Punjarby because whilst I'm not racists I think they may well be sexist and I just won't cut the cloth I'm afraid

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!