Taxi Driver Online

Rochford pioneers ‘Earn as you Learn’ scheme for taxi drivers

https://www.rochford.gov.uk/rochford-pi ... xi-drivers

A pioneering scheme, introduced by Rochford’s licencing team, has successfully increased the number of registered taxi and private hire drivers operating in the district.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the whole of the UK saw a decline in the number of drivers working in the sector.

Rochford District Council has worked with the main four operators in its district to develop a scheme encouraging new drivers into the business while still ensuring safety for all passengers.

Under the traditional route into the profession, new drivers had to undergo a lengthy training process and pass the knowledge test before they were issued with a Hackney Carriage Drivers Badge.

Under the ‘Earn as you Learn’ scheme new drivers can operate as a hire driver while they complete their course. Each driver is assigned a mentor and closely monitored throughout the training process.

Drivers have nine months to complete this process. Failure to pass within this time period will result in their badge expiring.

As of the start of December 2022, 27 drivers are enrolled on the Earn as You Learn with five drivers already successfully completing the course with many more drivers going through the application process.

Cllr Arthur Williams, Portfolio Holder for Communities & Health said:

“We need to have more taxi drivers trained and working to help our isolated and disabled residents and ensure people can get home safely late at night, so the ‘Earn to Learn Scheme’ is vital in districts like ours.

“It’s great to hear this scheme helping drivers get the necessary training but also earning a wage they need while studying, especially in the current cost-of-living crisis.”

To learn more about the scheme or to apply for a taxi licence within the district, please visit our Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles page on our website.

Wonder how that works, precisely?

Had a quick look via the link, but couldn't find anything. But what's the betting the 'mentoring' and 'closely monitoring' has been left to the 'main four operators' to do themselves

so who would you have do it then an experienced operator or an inexperienced numpty recruited by the council who ticks all the right boxes ?

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

Edders, that's a wee bit like asking who should test the cars and drivers in Liverpool?

And, as opposed to the point you make, I think the real box-ticking would lie with the operators rather than the council

As you'll be aware, I'm not exactly the biggest fan of licensing councils, but they're significantly better than the alternative you allude to, ie industry self-regulation.

The cynic in me wouldn't be surprised if the 'mentoring' was basically just a fancy pants way of saying 'box-ticking'

that's a big assumption that the operators wouldn't be diligent in their mentoring process.

The alternative is for the council to employ someone usually a person that ticks all the boxes i.e. minority racial background LGBT and disabled who probably would be clueless and incompetent.

I think allowing the trade to do the mentoring is the right approach with appropriate checks and balances. After all if their DBS comes back with a couple of red flags they can be failed and exited fairly easily

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

So are they licensed as hackney yet only allowed to take pre-booked work?

Or licensed as PH until they pass and then given hackney badges. If so the 9-month thing doesn't sound right.

Sounds like a mess to me, and of those 5 new drivers one has to wonder how many of those 5 would have joined the trade anyway.

Defo a case of the operator's tail wagging the council's dog, so to speak.

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IDFIMH