Taxi Driver Online

Hi,


I am based in Wirral and interested in becoming a hackney driver i am aware its now restricted so plates are harder to come by. However.. i was wondering if i could pick some peoples brains regarding the street knowledge and Hackney test, which on the council website doesn't really give you much information about it.

I happy to talk through email or private message if you prefer to do it that way, or this thread.


Thanks

Matt

Search this site pal for "Wirral" over 300 results

Hi,

Thanks mate i have done a search for "Wirral" and had a good read, just have some questions regarding the knowledge test was hoping to just ask 1/2 questions to a wirral hackney or private hire whose been through it.

Hopefully someone from wirral will reply when they see it lol

If you ask half questions, you will probably get half answers.

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related

Lol, well basically i am looking into getting my hackney badge i am a newbie not looking to buy a cab hopefully went at first see what the trade is like etc.

What am wondering is the Wirral taxi knowledge whats expected from you? is it quite difficult to learn/grasp? what sort of questions could be expected, and with the hackney you have to do a driving test for wirral.. what is this typically like? as i can't find any information at all about it.. private hire its not needed.

Also when filling out the application for the badge it asks what vehicle will i be driving (hackney) reg plate/hackney plate number well as i am just looking at getting my badge firstly.. i don't have a vehicle and wont rent one until i have passed all the necessary requirements for obvious reasons. So can you actually get your badge without having a vehicle? or are they basically telling me i need to buy a hackney cab on the hope i pass everything lol. The wirral has restricted licences so its not as if once you passed the requirements you can just buy your cab and get it plated.

Also a last question... sorry to go on i need to pass VRQ, DBS check, medical, knowledge test, driving test. Does it have to be taken in a particular order or can the knowledge, medical, VRQ be done in any order?

Sorry to go on but hopefully someone from wirral could shed some light on the above, that's why i was asking if i could talk to somebody from the wirral area as its questions basically aimed at this borough.

The requirement for licence on Wirral is the same regardless whether you are going to drive a hackney or a private hire vehicle. If you want assistance passing the knowledge test I'm more than help. Before you go into driving a hackney you should consider one of the reasons they gave for the re-restriction and bear in mind that a lot of the hackney drivers work on private hire circuits. Once you have passed the knowledge test you can have either or both badges (as I do). The test is in 4 parts 1. Area knowledge 2. Highway code 3. Spot locations 4. Laws & Regulations relating to taxis and private hire. If you go over to the one stop shop at Wallasey Town Hall I'm sure they'll be able to give you all the relevant paperwork or make an appointment with the licencing team. There is also the requirement to complete a Btec course in Road Passenger Transport which most do while learning their knowledge test. Hope all this has helped and as I said if you want help with the test just pm me

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

Just one more thing, last time I looked there were still 3 plates at the Town Hall but that was last year so they may have gone now

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

Hi toots,

Thanks for the reply very helpful. May well take you up on the pm for help with knowledge lol sounds quite difficult from how you explain it lol.

So you can have both private and public hire licence once you've passed everything?

Is there a driving test for both then? private hite and public hire .. or is there no driving test at all? just on the council website it doesn't mention a test for ph but does for hackneys.

The driving test as you call it is part of the hackney knowledge test. A member of the council will get in your vehicle and will ask you to take them to certain places, they will expect you to take the shortest route. Obviously you won't do the driving part in a hackney because you won't have a licence so your regular vehicle is what you use. It's not a driving test as such, partly because they aren't qualified to judge your driving it's a test of your knowledge of the area. You won't be able to do anything unless you make an appointment with the licencing department and if I was you I'd phone up to make the appointment asap as there have been some considerable delays recently in getting one. You also need to make sure that you do all your financials to ensure you are aware of all the costs involved and the hours you may need to work to cover the costs. This is obviously different with every person because we all have individual circumstances. If it was me I would be looking into getting the ball rolling now and the only thing that should hold you up is the DBS check. Also the reason the application for your licence asks what vehicle you will be driving is because you don't fill it out until you are ready to get your licence i.e after your knowledge test, Btec, DBS check etc so you will know what vehicle you will be driving because there is no point applying for your badge unless you have a vehicle to drive.

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

Thanks that's been a great help.

I understand it a bit more of how it works lol, much appreciated for your in depth reply

I will give the licencing department a ring in a day or two see if i can make an appointment with them to talk through a couple things with them also.



Matt

You have a PM.

There was a hack and plate for sale on Wikiwirral a couple of weeks ago for £3500.

There is still at least one plate available at the licencing department but the vehicle it is to be affixed to has to be under 3 years of age on first licence.

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

oh so it does defiantly have to be under three years old?

Yes if it's a new licence

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

Thanks toots,

So the first licence issued to a cab it has to be under three years old.. i know it could then go on for 20 odd years if it passes the MOT's etc but personally i think that's a bit silly as you can get cabs around 5-6 years old that are in perfect condition!