Taxi Driver Online

Yet another P&J article about an aspiring 'taxi driver' trying to get a badge without passing the knowledge test

Which you wouldn't think would be particularly newsworthy in the normal course of events.

But, of course, the subtext here is criticism of the knowlege test.

And, predictably enough, they manage to shoehorn in a mention of the U-word


Former firefighter in bid to skip Aberdeen’s taxi driver Street Knowledge Test as he ‘learned roads under high pressure’

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/ne ... xi-driver/

A city firefighter wants to return to the taxi trade after retiring from battling blazes - but will he still need to take a tricky exam before making his comeback?

A former firefighter pleaded with council bosses to become a taxi driver without sitting Aberdeen’s controversial Street Knowledge Test – arguing his “high pressure” trips around the city have already armed him with the required wisdom.

Kenneth Collie appealed to councillors at a recent committee meeting, stressing that his work in the emergency services provided “an extensive and practical knowledge of the local road network.”

Mr Collie has worked as a taxi driver before and previously passed the Street Knowledge Test in 2013, but his licence expired more than three years ago.

Now, following his retirement from firefighting, he wants to make a return to the profession.

Why does returning cabbie want to avoid Street Knowledge Test?

Mr Collie claimed that his firefighting experience meant he “routinely travelled throughout Aberdeen and the surrounding areas in the course of his duties”.

He chose not to renew his licence when it expired in 2023 as personal circumstances meant he could not carry on taxi-driving.

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Going by the usual rules, he would need to take the exam before regaining a licence.

Cab drivers are required to pass Aberdeen’s Street Knowledge Test, as well as a medical, before they are able to operate in the city.

The exam, where aspiring drivers have to demonstrate their knowledge of the city, has been criticised by some opponents for being outdated and a barrier to enter the trade.

Uber has been calling for the test to be scrapped, saying it contributes to the lack of taxis in the city.

However, those in favour say it maintains a high standard.

And earlier this year, following a major public consultation which put the test at risk, councillors voted to keep it in place.

Mr Collie told the licensing committee that he had spent “many months” studying for the test when he passed it in 2013.

He added that by passing the test 13 years ago, as well as living in Aberdeen all his life, he has “already satisfied the purpose and intent of the requirement”.

Mr Collie also said that he would be happy to pay the backdated licence renewal fee that he did not pay in 2023.

What did the councillors say?

The firefighter faced the group of councillors in Tuesdays’ licensing meeting, emphasising how his firefighting experience was a relevant factor to consider.

He said that he often drove in a “pressure environment” – and that he would “back himself in entirety” to pass the test again.

It did not take much to persuade councillor Neil MacGregor, who said that “the whole point of the test is to be satisfied that the applicant knows his way about the city, and I have no doubt that he does”.

In the end, chairman of the committee, Steve Delany, granted Mr Collie an exemption from having to take the exam.

Mr Collie can now regain his taxi licence. The full meeting can be viewed here.

Well it would be thus be easy for him to sit the test and demonstrate that, surely?

In the time this fella has taken to get his application before councillors, he could have done the knowledge twice over.

If he knows the area so well, then surely passing the knowledge should be an absolute piece of pi**.

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IDFIMH