Taxi Driver Online

Course could cost cabbies their job

MORE than 100 Bournemouth taxi drivers could lose their jobs because they have not passed a college course in transporting passengers. Three years ago, taxi and private hire drivers were told they had to gain a relevant BTEC/NVQ qualification by February 28, 2008.

But with that deadline now passed, 330 of the town's 693 drivers have yet to fulfil this requirement.

Councillors could decide to suspend the licence of every single one of these "unqualified" drivers, but instead they are being recommended to grant an extension for all those who are booked on to the course.

This would still leave 101 drivers unable to operate but Ashley Miller, chairman of Bournemouth Taxi and Private Hire Joint Committee, had little sympathy.

He said: "Those of us who have complied with the council requirement have had to take time off and sit in a college while other drivers have been out on the roads earning money. "Why should the majority of drivers be penalised for something that the other guys could have done?"

He acknowledged the decision to make the qualification compulsory for all drivers was controversial and had caused a lot of bad feeling between the council and the trade.

"But even accepting that, the course is free and you can always learn something new," he said. "I agree with extending the deadline for those booked on the course but those who have simply stuck two fingers up to the council could find themselves with no job."

Any driver who has their licence suspended would have the right to appeal through the magistrates courts, which could prove costly for the council.

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IDFIMH

A most interesting development.

Regards

JD

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

It is, I wonder what wor Ashley will think if all these drivers dont go through the test and people start complaining about the service?

CC

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

I suppose they could always replace them with Berwick hackneys.

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IDFIMH

Thats a quality idea

CC

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

I wonder if this might turn into another Darlington v Kaye scenario?

Who's to say that those who went on one of these two courses are more proficient or knowledgeable than those who didn't? Who is to say that the standard or quality of this course and those given the task of administering it are any more proficient than those drivers who haven't taken the course?

Perhaps the council should set their own standards test for every driver in order to find out for themselves the level of driver knowledge. I guarantee that any test will prove inconclusive and that those who took one of these courses are no more qualified than those who didn't.

Regards

JD

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

Did the LA create a monopoly situation with the course?

CC

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

I don't know the background to the implementation of the course or who the body or bodies were that designed the content. The normal procedure would be through a local college or training centre so I suspect for convenience an arrangement was made with them. With regards to monopoly I would suggest that as long as you had one of these qualifications if that's what you can call them, then it wouldn't really matter where it was obtained. The one problem there is that this particular course and I would suggest every other course like it, probably has to be centralised because of the "local knowledge factor" but if you divorce the local knowledge factor from the course itself and just have a standard qualification and let the local authority deal with its own local knowledge test then under those circumstances the qualification could become National instead of local.

Perhaps we should start our own training centre because at the end of the day "excellence" is recognisable in all industries and standards are governed by the level of excellence achieved. Therefore sooner or later there will be those centres who are renowned for their excellence and those who are not.

There is nothing stopping you and your colleagues from setting up a N/E training centre or even a national training centre, funding or even partial funding shouldn't be that hard to come by if you have the right team behind you.

Regards

JD

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

I tend to think theres so much about HC and PH that you need to learn through actual experience that all these courses do is actually give money to people who have far too much of it anyway.

CC

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

Yes I tend to agree but in order to obtain driver quality controls there has to be some type of examination of the proficiency of the driver in some fields including the English language, basic maths, local knowledge and the laws which they have to work under.

Regards

JD

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

It could be arguably broken down as follows;

English language Filling out the application form in front of the LO

basic maths paying for the license by cheque

local knowledge finding the licensing department in the council offices

laws which they have to work under. common sense and judgement

CC

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

I think that test is way too hard for some. Perhaps you're going to have to modify it? lol

Regards

JD

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

Do we need a bengali version?

CC

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

I don't think the Eastern Europeans will appreciate the Bengali factor. Perhaps the solution is to be found in the wisdom of our local council who send out forms in 13 different languages, lol.

Regards

JD

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

Does that include welsh?

CC

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