Cabbies may have to take maths and English testsBASILDON cabbies may have to take English and maths tests before being allowed out on the road.
The council, which licenses hackney carriages and private hire cars, is discussing introducing communication and numeracy tests, following a consultation.
At present, drivers must show a “good” ability to speak, read and understand English, but face no tests.
Ralph Morgan, spokesman for the Basildon Hackney Carriage Association, said the group had raised the issue when asked for feedback from the council.
He said: “It is a brilliant idea.
The biggest complaint from customers is they can’t understand some of the drivers. We don’t want complaints from customers saying they can’t understand drivers’ English.”
He also believes the council needs to look at how it enforces other checks, such as providing a Certificate of Good Conduct if drivers are not from the UK.
Dave Downton, chairman of Basildon Private Hire Association, said: “I have no problem, as long as it is done fairly. It will be beneficial to the trade and to the safety of the public, as long as it is done transparently all the way through.”
Stephen Hillier, chairman of Basildon Council’s licensing committee, said: “It is early days, but it is certainly moving in that direction, with the concerns of the trade in mind.
“It is something reasonable for the council to achieve, as we have a condition that says drivers have to have a good grasp of English and be able to communicate, but we can’t assess it, so it makes sense we spend the time and effort to make sure it can be assessed.”
He added tests would be discussed with the taxi forum.
The council has updated its licensing conditions, which come into effect next March, but will now look at adding the pre-licensing tests, which would only be for new drivers.
Officers believe the tests would be reasonable both from a customer service and public protection perspective.
source:
http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/1160974 ... ish_tests/
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