Taxi Driver Online

Well spotted Jimbo, but he's got nowt to do with this site.

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

But let's talk about me.

Twenty years as a TAXI driver, no accidents, clean license.

If I took a DSA test and passed, or failed, what would that prove? (for £100?)

I haven't been in the trade as long as you Jimbo, but I also have a clean license and am accident free.

But I'd be quite willing to sit the test, since some of the other drivers are shocking, and if I fail myslef then perhaps I need to improve.

And it would perhaps professionalise the trade and help deter some of the part-timers etc, so surely it's a better system than quotas.

So you might have nothing to prove, but what have you got to be scared about?

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

If, for some reason, (say, hands off wheel) and I had to wait several weeks for a retest.

A 75% fail rate amongst Qualified drivers? On the whim of an examiner.

Just what is the "cost" of these tests, in real terms?

Pre test instruction, loss of earnings etc.

Maybe, and only maybe, new drivers, persistent speeders, but I see no value in taking away the livelyhood of three out of four drivers in a L.A.
could put people off joining the trade, and the OfT said something against conditions not being too onerous, to make it difficult to join?

I was once warned, take care what you wish for, in case your wishes come true. Just imagine if every regular on this site had one (trade related) wish.

I'll start.

I wish people would stop trying to interfere in My L.A., and get on with sorting their own out.

But shouldn't we all be asking why they fail, and do we really want such failures in this trade?

The other thing that some councils are doing, is making all existing drivers take the test if they get a set number of points, in a set time. Surely that in itself is going to get drivers to slow down.

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IDFIMH

Well you get the T&G and the NTA to stick their hooters elsewhere, then I will seriously consider your proposal.

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IDFIMH

So is a failure not able to continue driving until they are retested. Personally I'm not against making the test only for new drivers, given the amount that clearly have little confidence in their driving ability.



Yes, people's driving ability being tested and failed if they are not up to scratch. Whatever next? Soon they'll be stopping drunk drivers and the like from getting behind the wheel at all

As for the particular phrase 'on a whim', are you suggesting that there's an element of wrongdoing as regards the examiners?



That's a bit rich from the person who's persistently getting his knickers in a knot about LAs' right to restrict taxi vehicle ownership to only the chosen few!!

So you think a fairer way to stop people entering the trade is just to stop people running a vehicle 'on the whim' of a council, rather than a simple test that any half competent driver could pass?

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

I think this is the real objection from many in the trade, found elsewhere and authored by someone who seems to be getting very animated about the DSA test:

Who in their right mind is going to go through all that just to work the odd weekend for a company?

Sounds a bit like Jimbo - moans about the possibility of more taxis, but any fair measure that might keep numbers down is treated like the slaughter of the innocents.

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

Do you mean people on here Jimbo?

Well as Sussex alludes above, the national associations have been doing it for years.

As for the web per se, the site that most tried to interfere involved someone called Mick Pollard (who I believe now posts on the web as Gatehead Angel) and they had a forum for gathering information that could be used in other areas. They also had regional 'reps' who would contact any LAs in their region with any points they wished to raise (Nigel Marchant was also a rep).

Personally I had no objection to this, and in principle it was a good idea, although unsurprisingly it soon went belly up. But the thing is, anyone else doing anything remotely similar is regarded by these selfsame people as some kind of interfering busybody.

Like them Jimbo, I think your basic problem is when people are proffering views that you disagree with - it's nothing to do with whether it's at the local level or not.

Me, I just believe in people having their say, and if I disagree then try to rebut with reasoned argument, not specious and self-serving 'principles'.

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

I am not looking for a way, fair, or unfair, to stop people entering the trade, are you?

I'm looking at a way, both fair and unfair, to stop iffy drivers and iffy vehicles entering the trade, are you?

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IDFIMH

Who has interfered in your LA? They shall be admonished, banned and flogged. Perhaps the people to whom your refer have already been admonished, banned and flogged?

JD

Eh?

Aren't you the one who supports restricted taxi numbers?

On the other hand, I don't like to see people working for buttons, and I don't like an unprofessional service, so the DSA test can go some way to rectifying both.

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

And you truly believe that do you?

How will a driving test do that?


Do explain, you never know, I may join your band of brothers.