Cabbies set for diploma - in driving!CABBIES could be asked to go to driving school as part of a campaign to make Neath and Port Talbot's roads safer.
Council experts are working on the idea, which they say would not only improve the safety of drivers and passengers but could also give taxi businesses a boost.
And the idea has been welcomed by one trade leader, who said he had been calling for drivers to get professional qualifications for years.
Neath Port Talbot road safety manager Joy Smith said: "There is no requirement on taxi drivers to demonstrate any safe standard of driving.
"Currently, anyone who holds a car driving licence is able to operate as a paid driver. They could have passed their driving test 20 to 30 years ago.
"We do carry out stringent checks but these don't cover things like driving knowledge, attitude or skill level.
"We are working in conjunction with our licensing manager with a view to regulating our taxi and private hire vehicle drivers to drive to a national standard."
Mrs Smith said the idea was in the very early stages and had not yet been discussed with the taxi and private hire vehicle trade.
She said the road safety team operated numerous initiatives, including training for bus drivers and for people who drove the council's own team of vehicles.
"We are educating all different types of drivers and now we are hoping to educate taxi drivers as well.
"It's no knee-jerk reaction to anything because we don't have any problems with our taxi drivers.
"What we want to do is work with them on a voluntary basis to raise standards across the county borough, which is what we do with numerous other schemes we run.
"It would be in their interests. It would be good for their businesses.
"It would be a recognition of their driving standards. I would suggest the public would see that in a positive light in terms of the companies they are using."
As Neath Port Talbot Council's area extends into parts of the Swansea and Amman valleys, the scheme would operate there too.
Neath Port Talbot Proprietors' Association secretary Bob Hoyles said: "I have been advocating such an idea for years. I believe all drivers should have a national Btec qualification.
"I definitely support the principle of what the council wants to do because it would show we are professionals. This isn't a trade that any scumbag can come into. It's a professional body with professional drivers.
"Any extra training for people can only be good for the trade."
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