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Nottingham Evening Post
August 14, 2006 Monday
HEADLINE: Can cabbies pass The Knowledge test?
Private hire taxi drivers from Nottingham are about to start taking a new qualification in a bid to raise the standard of customer service. JAMES KAY and PAUL ADCOCK attempted to assess how badly they need 'The Knowledge'
A Few years ago scientists confirmed what London's black cabbies have always suspected: they have bigger brains than the rest of us. They found that a part of the drivers' brain known as the hippocampus, associated with navigation in animals and birds, was highly developed.
Why? Presumably, to accommodate The Knowledge, that arcane body of information relating to the metropolis' labyrinth of roads. Contained in the infamous Blue Book, The Knowledge consists of hundreds of routes and related information about the points of interest to be found on them.
Absorbing it all - a pre-condition of gaining a Hackney Carriage drivers' licence - takes about three years of study. But the result of all that hard graft is a frighteningly well-informed cabbie, who gets better pay than his competitors, and a happier customer.
It is an idea that appeals to tourism organisation Experience Nottinghamshire, which is worried about first impressions. They understand that the initial taxi ride from the station of a strange city to the hotel can have a big impact on the Destination Experience as a whole.
Frances Wilson, quality and skills manager at Experience Nottinghamshire, is bidding to improve the standard of service on offer here. She said: "If you've been to another city in the UK and had a bad taxi ride, it doesn't go away. You remember it. "If, say, the driver just sits in his cab while you hump your own bags into the boot, or you say a road name and he replies, 'Never heard of it', it makes for a very poor start to a trip. "We want drivers, who often complain that they are fed up of being seen as unprofessional, to see themselves as part of the bigger tourism picture in Notts.
"If you're coming here from elsewhere, and you've already read bad things about the city, it doesn't help if your first experience is a poor taxi journey." With that in mind, the organisation has set up a new course for the city's private hire taxi drivers as a pilot project. As of now both Hackney Carriage and private hire drivers must pass a test set by the city council in order to gain a licence.
Jim Mortell, head of taxi licensing at Nottingham City Council, said: "We do currently have a test although it is fairly basic and we are looking to upgrade the assessment system.
"As it stands, we pick a location within the city and ask the driver to navigate using the shortest possible route. "We also ask them to provide an alternative route which may be needed due to roadworks or traffic congestion." But Experience Nottinghamshire's course, which the first group of 18 drivers from Clifton Cars, Trent Cars and DG Cars start on tomorrow, is far more in-depth.
The 80-hour course includes modules on customer service, safety, and taxi and private hire regulations. It leads to a nationally-recognised Btec Level 2 qualification, of the kind already being earned by cabbies in Manchester and Liverpool. Crucially, it addresses the question of drivers' route-planning skills, not to mention their grasp of the topical and topographical.
Ms Wilson said the 'ideal driver' would know all the best routes and points of interest off by heart by the end of the course. She added: "We're asking for a culture change." It is funded by a two-year £20,000 grant from East Midlands Tourism.
Taxi firms Clifton, Trent and DG have also agreed to contribute £50 per driver towards the running costs.
Ultimately, Experience Nottinghamshire would like to link the qualification to gaining a city council licence. It also wants to introduce a 'quality mark' that drivers could display on the their cabs. And Experience Nottinghamshire wants Hackney Carriage drivers to join their private hire colleagues on the course.
Ray Butterworth, secretary of the Association of Nottinghamshire Private Hire Operators, said it would help businesses evolve. He said: "The average age of taxi drivers is probably over 50 and they may feel they do not have much to learn. "I think that over the next few months and years we will see a more professional service develop and the course will benefit both those in the trade and the general public."
Bashir Nateef, chairman of the Nottingham Licensed Taxi Owners' and Drivers' Association, added: "I don't really think it is something that will take off with those who have been in the job for a while. "Full-time drivers will know their way around and probably wouldn't be tempted into attending classes - especially if they have to take time off work.
"But I do think it is a good idea for new drivers. It will offer a good platform to learn the knowledge necessary for the job and would probably provide a good experience for them."
james.kay
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