Post by The Dark Knight on Nov 28, 2023 10:55:52 GMT
A council has updated its Knowledge test to focus on safety, as well as allowing drivers to rely on sat-navs to get around
Officials have put the brakes on plans to scrap the Knowledge test for taxi and private hire drivers in Bury and have instead updated it to improve safety.
Bury Council had considered removing the Knowledge test from its licensing process following claims it is outdated and unnecessary. Opponents felt instead that taxi and private hire drivers could safely navigate the borough’s streets using sat-nav and similar technology.
Update
While the council accepted that technology may have replaced traditional maps and atlases, it stressed that being a taxi or private hire driver in the town involves more than just being able to take passengers from one place to another.
The Council’s Licensing and Safety Committee last month heard the results of a public consultation relating to Hackney carriage and private hire policy in which 1,195 people took part, including licensed drivers from the private hire and hackney carriage trade, licensed private hire operators, licensed vehicle proprietors, members of the public and trade representatives.
Safety
While acknowledging technology could be used to help drivers, the committee acknowledged that it needed to strike the right balance between fulfilling its duty to ensure greater public safety, while responding to the changing nature of the hackney carriage and private hire industry.
It was told the reality was that “where any local authorities take a more stringent line on any of these policy areas, it was likely to result in continued reductions in drivers and vehicles licensed by that authority, and in Bury that meant having even less control and influence over the safety standards of the fleet working within our authority area”.
www.patonsinsurance.co.uk/2023/11/24/taxi-drivers-need-better-knowledge-to-keep-passengers-safe/
Officials have put the brakes on plans to scrap the Knowledge test for taxi and private hire drivers in Bury and have instead updated it to improve safety.
Bury Council had considered removing the Knowledge test from its licensing process following claims it is outdated and unnecessary. Opponents felt instead that taxi and private hire drivers could safely navigate the borough’s streets using sat-nav and similar technology.
Update
While the council accepted that technology may have replaced traditional maps and atlases, it stressed that being a taxi or private hire driver in the town involves more than just being able to take passengers from one place to another.
The Council’s Licensing and Safety Committee last month heard the results of a public consultation relating to Hackney carriage and private hire policy in which 1,195 people took part, including licensed drivers from the private hire and hackney carriage trade, licensed private hire operators, licensed vehicle proprietors, members of the public and trade representatives.
Safety
While acknowledging technology could be used to help drivers, the committee acknowledged that it needed to strike the right balance between fulfilling its duty to ensure greater public safety, while responding to the changing nature of the hackney carriage and private hire industry.
It was told the reality was that “where any local authorities take a more stringent line on any of these policy areas, it was likely to result in continued reductions in drivers and vehicles licensed by that authority, and in Bury that meant having even less control and influence over the safety standards of the fleet working within our authority area”.
www.patonsinsurance.co.uk/2023/11/24/taxi-drivers-need-better-knowledge-to-keep-passengers-safe/