‘Disgrace’ - Taxi drivers no longer need to take a ‘knowledge test’ under new South Tyneside Council rules
Potential taxi drivers will no longer have to take a knowledge test under new South Tyneside council rules.
Taxi drivers licensed in South Tyneside will no longer need to know how to get from A-B when they pick up a fare under new council rules being queried by cabbies.
Instead of proving they recognise the shortest or fastest route by memory, they can now just plug in and follow their sat nav.
They will not be required to answer questions in a sit-down test about how to get around the borough efficiently.
Councillors behind the shake-up claim they are bringing the taxi licensing system into the 21st Century by removing inefficiency while maintaining safety.
But some taxi drivers fear passengers could be driven round the bend with longer routes taken and more expensive fares demanded.
They warn the borough is already seeing an influx of cab drivers from other parts of the north east who are strangers to local roads and lack essential A-Z understanding.
‘A disgrace’
Ken Wood, 73, a taxi driver and former South Tyneside Alliance Group councillor, has branded the move as a “disgrace”.
He said: “We all know sticking a sat nav on can take you anywhere but from A to B, you can end up anywhere.
“The borough is getting drivers from all over the place and a lot of them don’t know where they are or where they are going.
“I totally disagree with the knowledge test being scrapped, every passenger wants their driver to know where they are going without a sat nav.
“If this test is scrapped, passengers run the risk of ordering a taxi in Westoe with a planned destination of Cleadon and being driven everywhere in between.
“I really do think this plan is a disgrace.”
Modern technology sees knowledge test scrapped
Three Reform councillors - Karen Pittuck, Jason Diamond and Chris Fox – have taken credit for scrapping the knowledge element of the licensing test.
Cllr Karen Pittuck, Lead Member for Highways, Neighbourhoods and Community Safety, said: “We have reviewed the knowledge test for new taxi and private hire driver applicants and agreed to remove the part which tests their knowledge of local roads and routes.
“With modern sat-nav technology now widely available, we believe this is a sensible and proportionate change and brings us in line with the approach taken by other local authorities in the region.
“It is important to be clear that the knowledge test itself has not been removed.
“Applicants will still be tested on important areas including council bylaws, relevant legislation and the Highway Code.
“They must also continue to meet the council’s other licensing requirements and undergo checks to make sure they are suitable to hold a licence, including safeguarding training, criminal records, medical, driving licence and right-to-work checks.”
‘No sense to maintain outdated requirements’
Cllr Diamond said: “It makes no sense to maintain outdated requirements simply because they have always been there.
“This is about cutting unnecessary bureaucracy while keeping the important checks that protect passengers.”
And Cllr Fox added: “We have been prepared to challenge outdated rules and ask whether they still make sense today.
“Removing unnecessary barriers can help both private-hire and hackney carriage drivers while maintaining appropriate passenger protections.”
Full details on taxi licences in South Tyneside can be found at: https://www.southtyneside.gov.uk/article/1788/Taxi-licence.