Taxi Driver Online

Not quite like yesterday's War and Peace, but another lengthy piece on the P&J's website.

And another pile of photos, which aren't included below. But I've put in the link to yet another punt for the council's consultation



Warning change to end Aberdeen airport taxi queue pain ‘materially risks security’

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/ne ... ank-merge/

Airport bosses have come out against proposed moves to merge the city and airport taxi zones, also claiming "significant" reductions in passengers waiting in long queues for a cab in recent years.

Airport bosses are to fight proposals to open its taxi rank up to all Aberdeen cabbies — with fears the plans could pose a security risk.

Aberdeen City Council is consulting the public on proposed changes to licensing rules, aimed at tackling queues in the city centre and at the airport.

One idea is to allow taxi drivers from the city zone into the airport, which is currently separated out.

Aberdeen International Airport contracts car park operator APCOA to run its taxi rank, outside the front door of the terminal.

And airport management is against the idea of opening it up — despite a huge swell of unhappiness at the first impression visitors to Aberdeen are left with at the airport rank.

Claims ‘shambolic’ airport taxi rank is Aberdeen’s ‘shame’

Complaints around “disastrous” long waits at the airport’s taxi rank were among the most common in Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce’s own taxi survey.

At True North’s business breakfast last week, chamber chief executive Russell Borthwick asked the audience to consider polling which suggested a third of people would visit Aberdeen city centre more if they were more confident in taxi provision.

“This is not a criticism of the taxi trade,” he clarified.

“This is about unlocking economic value for our struggling hospitality sector. Change is within our gift, and we need to make it soon.”

He also highlighted support for rules at Aberdeen airport to be eased.

Mr Borthwick said: “Everybody says the taxi provision in Aberdeen is c**p… That is not true.

“But there are pressure points at certain times, at weekends and later into the evening, and at our transport hubs.

“We don’t want people arriving in Aberdeen to get a bad first impression of the city.

“Don’t regulate which taxis can go and pick up from the airport, that is nonsense.”

Mr Borthwick wasn’t the only one at the event giving candid, adult, assessments of things in Aberdeen – as election hopeful Douglas Lumsden accused the city council of spending cash set aside for a new football stadium on “utter c**p”.

Airport taxi ire dominates Chamber of Commerce survey

More than 400 people shared views on the Aberdeen taxi trade with Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, before the business group officially responds to the council consultation.

And fears were shared for the first impression the “ridiculous situation” was giving visitors of the city.

“What a welcome to Aberdeen when people arrive at the airport,” a respondent fumed.

“It’s shambolic and I have never seen this anywhere else I have visited. Taxi availability is an embarrassment.”

[url]There is still time to have your say on the council’s proposed changes to taxi licensing rules in Aberdeen here.[/url]

‘Aberdeen airport needs to speak up for their part in taxi rank fury’

Aberdeen taxi firms believe they take the flak for the situation at the airport, even though they are not involved in running then rank.

They are against the most substantive change proposed in the council’s consultation: to free private hire drivers from having to pass the street knowledge test, as has been advocated from recent Aberdeen market entrant Uber.

And Aberdeen Taxis boss Chris Douglas reckons fury at long waits at the airport are part of the reason people might back the idea.

Mr Douglas told The P&J: “The airport rank is a private commercial agreement, which we are not part of.

“The airport should be speaking up for their part in this as we get tarnished with the ‘we can never get a taxi at Aberdeen airport’ even though it’s not our function.

“If you asked Aberdeen Taxis to send a taxi to the airport, we would. It’s really important to me that I am not taken to task over their commercial agreement.”

Anger at long airport taxi rank waits a key stand of survey feedback

Respondents repeatedly described late‑night arrivals being met with long queues and minimal taxi availability, sometimes of more than an hour.

Another wrote: “On several occasions I have returned from business trips in the Middle East or USA only to have to join a long taxi queue late at night.

“On some occasions I have decided to take the bus into the city centre and then try and find a taxi there, which is also not easy if the weekend. What must visitors think?

“Why is there so much over regulation in Aberdeen? It stifles competition when in Edinburgh it is quick, simple and safe to get an Uber or black cab.”

Others called for the airport to waive the pick up charge for taxis to stop there “being only two for an entire plane” willing to pay it.

Another said: “You wait 45 minutes for a taxi in freezing temperatures at Aberdeen airport.

“I do sympathise with the drivers, due to the horrendous charges which are the highest I’ve seen and I travel globally with work.

“For visitors to Aberdeen it’s a terrible welcome to arrive to a taxi queue with no taxis, [compared to airports all over the world].”

Airport: Taxi rank performance ‘improving’ as vast majority wait less than 30 minutes

Aberdeen International Airport said the number of drivers within its dedicated fleet has “significantly increased” over the past several years.

A spokesman said taxi availability is a “city-wide issue” and “not something confined solely to the airport” after an exodus of drivers during the Covid pandemic.

He added: “Complaints have reduced year on year and our data shows that more than 95% of customers are served in under 30 minutes.

“We recognise there can be short, concentrated peaks when multiple flights arrive at once, but overall service performance has continued to improve.”

Terror threat ‘changed airport taxi permits overnight

On June 30 2007, a day after car bombings in London, a 4×4 loaded with propane canisters was driven at the glass doors of Glasgow Airport and set ablaze.

The terror attack changed security requirements at terminals across the country overnight.

Russell McLeod’s Rainbow City Taxis was in charge of the Aberdeen airport rank in those days, and remember that “the very next day, the whole place changed”.

And he doubts merging the city and airport taxi zones would make any difference.

“Even if they combine the licensing zones, the airport would likely still only permit certain cars to muster the rank for security reasons,” he said.

“They are not going to let in each of Aberdeen’s 500-odd drivers.”

Airport bosses against changes

And airport bosses have backed up that theory, citing the airport zone is a “highly regulated environment where safety and security are paramount”.

Their spokesman said: “Dezoning could see several hundred additional vehicles seeking access to the airport environment, which would materially increase security risk and undermine the established operating procedures that protect passengers, staff and infrastructure.

“Any driver accessing the airport’s inner forecourt must pre-register and agree to airport specific operational terms and conditions.

“These requirements are essential for managing security, traffic flow and the unique operational demands of an airport.

“For this reason, we do not support removing the existing zoning structure.”

Airport backs ‘updated’ street knowledge test for to sustainably grow driver numbers

He promised Aberdeen International Airport would work with drivers, the council and taxi trade leaders to “modernise” the city’s licensing rules.

That includes support for “updating” the street knowledge test, which could yet be removed to encourage more people to become private hire drivers — who are unable to pick up from ranks, either in the city or at the airport.

The spokesman concluded: “However, any future changes must protect safety, maintain service performance for passengers and ensure the long-term viability of both airport and city drivers.”

What a load of old fanny?

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IDFIMH

I'd guess that if they allowed all the Aberdeen City HCs to rank at the airport then in other respects it might become unmanageable. The photos over the years suggest there's not a huge amount of space available.

Maybe they could allow some sort of compromise, as elsewhere, where if there's a queue of people waiting then none-airport cars could pick up (assuming it was possible to arrange that logistically).

On the other hand, while I can't recall the charging/fees thing at the airport, allowing the whole of the city's HC fleet to pick up at busy times might compromise that

The airport own all the land around it and they decide who gets to work there. Even if they dezone it they would still control who gets to work there. At the moment the pickup fee is £7 or £8 which the driver has to pay for each hire the drop off fee is £7.

The consultation ends this week so there will probably be a final push from uber/Aberdeen inspired/Aberdeen chamber of commerce and our union street to get the street knowledge test cancelled. My guess is it will be Dundee's turn next.

Well if it's a fixed payment per hire as opposed to a fixed fee to rank there then I'm surprised the airport doesn't want a more flexible system that would allow all City of Aberdeen taxis to pick up there at least at busy times, at least if not to actually *rank* there all the time.

Anyway, I think this is the third piece in the P&J's latest trilogy

Complete with another ten photos

And yet another link to the council's consultation (I've remembered to actually include the actual URL link this time )

And I think they've done as similar piece before.

Although maybe not specifically like this, but they've certainly done several different pieces on the knowlege test.

And not sure what the 'black cab' in the strapline is all about - it's not a black cab fleet in Aberdeen. And the point about the knowledge test that's perpetually in dispute regarding Uber is that the test applies to PHDs as well...


I took the Aberdeen Street Knowledge Test – how hard is it to pass?

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/ne ... edge-test/

With the chance that the Street Knowledge Test could soon be scrapped for some drivers, I thought I'd give it a go to see if I could get behind the wheel of a black cab...

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For some time, we have heard complaints about how Aberdeen’s tricky Street Knowledge Test is causing shortages in the city’s fleet.

It’s claimed the gruelling exam is too strict a barrier to entering the trade, holding back would-be cabbies from picking up punters on busy nights.

Council chiefs are now asking the public to have their say on the exam, amid mounting calls for it to be axed for the private-hire drivers who know their customers’ pick-up and destination points before setting off.

With all the debate surrounding the controversial test, I wonder what it’s like for your average person to actually sit it…

So I thought I’d give it a go, and channel Jeremy Clarkson just before everything inevitably goes wrong on Top Gear by asking “how hard can it be?”

How is this going to work?

Before we get into just how hard it really is, let’s set out the rules for how this is actually going to work.

I’m not sitting the official test at the council’s Town House, which those seeking a proper licence need to.

We have already written about the logjam to sit the exam, so I don’t think a journalist taking up a spot for an experiment is for the best.

Instead, we’re using Our Union Street’s bumper taxi test guide, which comes with the real questions and exact same format of the official test.

This is as close as you can get without taking it for real.

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It even comes with a simulator of the test, and I’ll be sitting this in exam conditions with the same amount of time as a proper candidate would have.

It’s a free tool to try and boost the number of drivers on Aberdeen’s streets – something Our Union Street leader Bob Keiller has long advocated for.

So with my 79-page revision guide, and a good bit of gumption, I was ready to get started.

How did my revision for Aberdeen Street Knowledge Test go?

I studied for about three days total before sitting the test – nowhere near enough if you actually plan on doing it for real.

But I highly doubt my editor would let me take a month-long sabbatical to become an expert on the city’s streets.

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The test is broken down into three sections – designed to display a knowledge of connecting streets, points of interest and ideal routes. So I decided to take it bit-by-bit.

I’m already at a slight disadvantage as I grew up in Peterhead and have lived most of my life there.

But I did stay in Aberdeen for a year as a student, and have lived in the centre for the past eight months, so my knowledge of the city isn’t too shabby for an outsider.

I thought it would be best to start out with the points of interest section, as I knew a good number of these already.

It’s a simple concept – which street is Vovem or the Rubislaw Tennis Club on?

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Our Union Street’s guide breaks it down into categories such as restaurants, churches and transport, which helped me quite a bit.

I’d managed to get this section pretty nailed down within about a day-and-a-half, which I was quite proud of.

Until I realised that was half of my revision time…

How was I feeling about Aberdeen Street Knowledge Test?

The other two parts of the exam were a lot harder to study for.

Being one of the generation who did their Highers during Covid, I’ve never actually sat a proper exam in my life – and during university I was quite bad for starting my essays the day before they were due.

So I’m not the most urgent studier in the world, and that did not bode well for having to learn all about 3,024 streets in 36 hours.

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The routes section was up next for me – 32 possible combinations of get from X to Y.

Going into the exam, I’d have to get lucky that the ones I knew came up.

Can I tell you the shortest route between the 22 Club and Cults Academy? Absolutely.

Could I actually drive you there? Not a chance.

With time not on my side, my tactic was to memorise the names of streets in their specific order rather than actually learn the roads.

This is obviously not the way to do it if you actually want to become a cabbie, as I will soon prove.

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The last section, and the toughest, was the connecting streets.

In this one, candidates are given two roads, Gallowgate and Union Street for example, and must name the street which joins the two together.

I already knew this was going to go Pete Tong.

If a question relating to the city centre or the road out to Peterhead came up I’d have a chance, but anything else and I was goosed.

So with my revision done, the time had come for me to sit the test…

How did I do in Aberdeen Street Knowledge Test?

In a quiet room at P&J HQ on Broad Street, I began the Street Knowledge Test with a sense already that this was not going to go well.

I need 75% in each of the sections to pass, and then I can be on my way to trading my notebook for a logbook.

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However, first up was the streets, and my sense of pessimism proved correct – I didn’t even know where half of these roads were.

I’d managed to use a bit of logic for a few of them (e.g. Colthill Drive connects Colthill Circle to Colthill Road) but it was a disaster – I had failed.

My guesswork only got me so far.

Would you have known what road connects Todlaw Walk to Licklyhead Way? I certainly didn’t…

With my cabbie hopes dashed on the first part, the pressure was off in the next sections, and I actually had a good showing when it comes to a knowledge of city landmarks.

I’m still annoyed I got the King’s Museum wrong, mind you.

I guessed Viewfield Road instead of High Street, confusing it with the Gordon Highlanders Museum. I won’t forget that again now.

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But overall, a strong showing on getting hotels such as the Palm Court and the Pinehurst Lodge correct got me over the line.

This is the easiest section, but I’m glad I at least passed something…

Last up were the “point A to point B” questions. This was another fail, but getting even one of these correct is a small win for myself.

Luckily my banker 22 Club to Cults Academy came up first, which I got spot on, but everything else was quite the blunder.

I can get you from the Britannia Hotel to Bridge of Don Library – just 10 minutes slower than the shortest route.

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And the last two were a complete shambles.

I needed 75% in each section to pass – my scores were:

Connecting streets – 20%
Points of interest – 85%
Routes – 25%

What did I learn?

I left the room with a lot of respect for cabbies who have been able to pass the test – it’s really hard.

I’d probably need at least a couple of months to nail it down, and I definitely see now why some drivers take multiple attempts to complete it.

The fact that there are two King Streets, three School Roads and even five Station Roads in Aberdeen didn’t help.

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There’s no way to fluke it, or a quick way to learn everything – you really would have to be out there hitting the streets and remembering them that way.

I definitely understand why the term “hurdle” is used now though – as it wouldn’t surprise me if it put people off from entering the industry altogether…

The Street Knowledge Test is now up for public discussion as the council considers rewriting Aberdeen’s taxi licensing rulebook.

You can take part in Aberdeen City Council’s taxi and private hire consultation here.

So presumably the 'green light' is some sort of mechanism the airport uses to allow the city plates to pick up at the airport rank when it's busy?

Yes the green light was on when it was busy all city taxis could pickup if on. It hasn't been used since the airport changed the fee to £8 per pickup for the airport drivers. Presumably because they have no way of getting the £8 from unregistered drivers. If the council decide to dezone the airport the airport will just issue permits to their fleet no permit no pickup. I don't think the council will dezone because if it's busy in town there will be no taxis at the airport.

So the security concerns don't apply when it's busy.

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IDFIMH