Taxi Driver Online

A rare piece from the Gedling Eye

And quite interesting too. Something a bit different


QR codes on taxi driver badges are being introduced to boost passenger safety in Gedling borough

https://www.gedlingeye.co.uk/news/qr-co ... g-borough/


Image: Gedling Eye

Passengers using cabs in Gedling borough will now be able to easily find out if their taxi driver’s licence is genuine and valid following the introduction of new safety measures.

QR codes on vehicle plates and drivers badges will make it simple to verify that the cab licence hasn’t expired or been faked.

Gedling Borough Council‘s new QR code security feature will be rolled out on all future licence applications and renewals.

The QR code can be accessed using a smart phone camera. The code will take the user to a secure website that will show them the vehicle and driver details, expiry date of the licence and verify the licence is valid.

The council say the QR codes are being introduced as an added security measure, making it easier for licencing officers to check licences are valid, while offering an additional layer of peace of mind for passengers to know the vehicle and driver they are using are correctly licenced.

It will also make it more difficult for taxi licences and plates to be counterfeited.

Leader of Gedling Borough Council, Councillor John Clarke said: “The safety of passengers is our priority and any measures that can improve this are always welcome.

“These new QR codes will allow passengers to be reassured that their drivers are correctly licenced and their vehicles are safe to enter. As more and more people can now use QR codes quickly and easily using their phone cameras, this will improve safety standards and make it easier for our licencing enforcement teams to inspect."

He added: “Our drivers have also welcomed this additional security check which they can use to show that their details are up to date and it also makes it more difficult for counterfeit licences to be created.”

Is this a new thing, or am I just a bit behind the curve?

To be honest, although I'm not a complete technophobe, if anyone had asked me what a QR code is, I wouldn't have had much of a clue

Anyway, this all strikes me as slightly gimmicky. I mean, if punters wanted to check plates and badges they'd be doing so at present, right?

I mean, how many do? In fact the only time anyone ever asks for my badge number or whatever, they always seem to be doing it just to intimidate, so not sure I'd want these types scanning my badge for a QR code with their mobile phone


So fake plates and badges are such a problem, and so difficult to detect, that LOs need to scan them?


So I'm sitting on the rank and suddenly can't remember if my badge and plate have expired. "I know, let's check they're up to date by scanning the QR code with my mobile phone."

As for QR codes on plates a little bit of mud off the road and you couldn't scan it so impractical

otherwise I can see the benefits but how many drivers would allow a customer to scan their badge

_________________
lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

I certainly don't like the thought of a passenger wanting to scan my badge

Particularly because these types tend not to want to do stuff like that for genuine reasons

I think you will find that it is for a licensing officer to check

_________________
Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

Not according to the leader of the council. Obviously expects members of the public to be scanning plates and badges with a smartphone

And obviously expects drivers to be using them too

About 15 years out of date.

TBH if someone wanted to photograph my badge I would tell them to leave the car and go book another car.

And just because a vehicle is licensed it doesn't always follow that it's safe and insured.

_________________
IDFIMH

Kind of reminds me when we got our new plate system. Just seemed to be change and an updated procedure for the sake of it.

So previously our plates were undated, so would last for as long as you had the car.

Then they dated them, and it was the licence date rather than the test date, so it all entailed a lot of fannying around. For example, you'd drive a 10-mile round trip to the depot at Cupar to get them fitted, but they'd forgotten to send them up from the licensing office. For a few years we had to go to the licensing office, collect the plastic transfer sheet, then take it up to the depot where they'd make up the plate

And because you can apply at the last minute, and they take weeks to process the application, you end up with lots of out-of-date plates.

So initially, drivers were phoning the council to complain, until it all settled down when people realised what was happening.

So now no-one really notices the plates, because we all know a lot of them can be out-of-date by several weeks.

Which in turn presumably means the public don't pay much attention either, which brings us back to Gedling

Anyway, Gedling just looks much the same - just change for the sake of it, and maybe it's easier to do that sort of stuff from behind a desk (or from home now) than getting out on the streets.

(Didn't Skippy say recently that their plates didn't even have the car registration on it, so basically could be retained until it was lost or damaged, or whatever?)

But again for the first few years I just got the annual licences, and all the fannying around with the plates was one reason I moved to the three year ones.

Just remembered too about the stick on flexible vinyl (or whatever) plates as well. Presumably we aren't getting them here any time soon

And where is the information stored

_________________
Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

spot on there! Licence + ID doesn't alwyas mean insured or safe.