It’s been reported that taxi drivers in West Oxfordshire will have the option of sitting a locally-set driving test instead of the standard government exam, in a bid to stop some drivers losing their licences.
2012 saw the introduction of new rules governing the issuing of taxi licences, and as a result all licensed drivers will have to be assessed by the end of January 2015. However, in West Oxfordshire the council has agreed to set its own assessment, which will not only be locally focused, but also cheaper than the government’s DVSA test.
Not everyone is pleased with the announcement, especially those drivers who have already paid out for and sat the standard DVSA test. One local driver who had already gone through the government’s DVSA test commented: “We are unhappy that we were told two years ago that we needed to take the [Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency] test and now the council have moved the goalposts. I’m pretty upset to be honest because we could have done the local test. I think they’re trying to make it easier for the drivers who haven’t done the [DVSA] test.”
At the request of the industry itself?
However, according to the local council the request to implement the local tests was made by the taxi industry itself in the area, and is regarded as a suitable alternative to the DVSA exam. The local test still covers all the required sections and will be carried out by fully qualified ADIs. Also, unlike the DVSA test, the West Oxfordshire exam is not valid outside the area, so drivers who move beyond the boundaries of the borough will still have to take the DVSA test to be able to work as a licensed driver.
The tests, which are designed to achieve a benchmark standard of competence for the entire industry, will include all aspects of driving ability to check that licence holders are fit to be offering a service to the public. It is expected that other aspects of the licensed taxi industry will come under more intense scrutiny over the coming years, including the question of taxi driver insurance, and the standard of vehicles used as licensed taxis and mini cabs.
But what may muddy the waters is if more local authorities start offering ‘alternative’ tests to the government’s standard test, and whether the overall quality of taxi services across the country will be compromised as a result.