Taxi Driver Online

Taxi drivers' anger over courses

Once it was enough to have a driving licence and know your way around the town.

But now taxi drivers in Hull may need to have rather more sophisticated qualifications to prove their worth.

Hull City Council is considering enforcing a mandatory requirement that cabbies should have a BTEC or an NVQ to obtain or renew their licence as part of a review by the licensing committee.

However, city taxi drivers, some of whom have been in the industry for decades, have branded the idea "patronising" and claim most of the content of the courses is "common sense".

The cabbies would have to sit through nine weeks of lectures in order to have their licences renewed if the 20-hour BTEC course becomes compulsory or spend six to 12 months working towards the NVQ.

The BTEC course, entitled Transporting Passengers By Taxi And Private Hire, teaches drivers how to greet passengers and shows them how to lift a heavy case.

It also covers route planning, safety issues, disability awareness and equal opportunities.

The NVQ teaches them how to "agree tour itineraries with clients" and how to take fares from passengers, as well as how to get on with colleagues.

An assessor would accompany the driver during journeys as part of the appraisal.

Steve Ralph, a member of the Hull Private Hire Drivers group, took the BTEC course last year.

He said: "We felt somebody on the committee should see what the course is all about and, to be honest, it was a waste of time.

"It's all common sense if you've been a driver for almost two decades like I have. They're teaching us to suck eggs."

Mr Ralph and Steve Forsyth, chairman of the committee, which represents more than 1,200 cabbies, met with council officials to discuss the issue recently.

Mr Forsyth said: "We are not against the courses being mandatory for new licences, but not for existing ones.

"Times are hard enough right now without drivers, who are self-employed, taking time off to go back to school."

Mark Charlton, partnership support manager for Hull Citysafe, a crime and disorder reduction partnership, said: "Both qualifications are designed to enhance customer care and driving standards. These qualifications would be at no cost to the driver.

"The views received will be submitted to the licensing committee when the policy and conditions are reviewed later this year."

Both courses are currently run on a voluntary basis at Hull College.

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

I've a devils advocate view on this issue, while I feel I'm polite and offer a good service to my customers, there are those around me who still take the ...if you don't like it **** off approach.

I find that to be one of the negatives of the game, as a full on experienced pro I can say that when a difficult customer gets in the best way to deal with it is to be calm and ask polite questions, this in itself bamboozles them because they can't understand why I don't fire up at them, the times I hear other drivers saying about their last fare and how they wanted to nut the ****, all that adds up to is stress to you, I prefer to let them go on their way, sometimes even letting them think they got the better of me, but after all if you really wanted to you could fist up with a customer 5 times a night if you really wanted to, so I guess to be fair all will have to do a test to educate them how to handle the public because who can tell who knows the drill and who doesn't.

If it's all commonsense could somebody please explain

a) why not all drivers are using the commonsense
b) why some very experienced drivers are failing the btec

_________________
Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

because their sh*te?

CC

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Brutal but honest and true. It's like trying to teach an old dog new tricks it just doesn't happen.

But the problem is that just because you do everything right to pass the course the pig ignorant and unhelpful drivers will still be that after they have taken it.

If the councils are that bothered then maybe they should do like the "secret shopper" type thing, send out people to get cabs, if they get an unhelpful and miserable sod then send him for "re-education"

These courses are just a huge waste of time and money as far as I'm concerned.

And seeing as they're are soon going to try and force this on everyone down here I'd also like to know who's going to pay me for the time off to do it?

Cant imagine my cab owner saying dont give me full rent this week because I've had to sit in some poxy classroom when I should be earming.

It's the same old story. Who's going to pay me to do a course. Most people have to pay the colleges to do courses, but, not in this case. Lets just hope the money tree from LSC doesn't run dry too soon cos otherwise not only will you be sitting in a classroom but you'll be paying for the privilidge of doing so

_________________
Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

That would be the best way I think, a sting to catch out the crap, and like you say they ain't gonna pay for the course or our losses while doing it, tbh it's job creation on our backs again.

We are in the middle of doing it now, and to be honest i dont find it at all patronising. Ive been in the job 20 years and if by investing 20-30 hours of my time in doing this helps raise our companys profile then I'm all for it. I remember when we switched to data from pen and paper 5 years ago and lots of drivers complained about that. Some people dont like progress whilst those that embrace it will flourish.
It wont be long before all local authorities insist on the qualification before firms/drivers can carry out their account work, and then you'll all be moaning when we've got all the school runs

You're probably right to some degree but it is the last trade to be hit with it or something very similar so we've done well to avoid it all these years

_________________
Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

when I wrote 'because their sh*te' I was referring to the cab drivers not the courses.

These course are being brought in because of the minority of cab drivers who don't use common sense and who in general cost us work.

The solution isn't probably to put everyone through courses, but to get rid of the sh*te.

CC

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

These courses are also ideal for those entering the trade, as they get to learn things that we have learnt over the years, one of these being driver safety, so if this course can save 1 life it has to be worth it.
The fact is people are scared about sitting in a classroom environment, that is the real fear.

From my personal point of view I don't see the point in wasting my time on a course that isn't going to enhance my understanding of the taxi trade. I doubt fear of the classroom would prove too intimidating for most people.

Regards

JD

_________________
Copyright notice © The contents of this post are copyright of JD and are not to be reproduced outside of TDO without written permission.

I would respectfully disagree, the idea of having to take a test is what is putting a lot of people off. In a few years when it becomes compulsary and they have to pay for the course as opposed to getting it free now, you will hear drivers saying "I dont know what all the fuss was about, its easy, I wish i'd have done it before", and the truth of the matter is it is, its the thought of failing and looking stupid in front of your fellow workers that's the stumbling block for most.

They are proposing to do the same down here, listen to this - it is a 60/70 hour course along similar lines as mentioned costing the drivers £250/£300.

But they (the Council) recognise that it might be legally challenge-able by existing drivers, so the proposal at the moment is a voluntary basis for existing drivers and possibly compulsory for anyone new coming in.

What really gets to me is that drivers are now paying for the mistakes made by L.As in not taking care as to who they give a badge to. I have seen them (drivers) down here turn up for the local knowledge test in clothes that you would not wear out on the garden and looking like they have not had a wash for a week - does that not tell you something about the person.

In any other line of work you would have not gotten the job

They the L.As need to get their act together re interviewing drivers for the job and to stop extorting monies from us.

_________________
if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.